


To Have and To Hold

by KleopatraAlexandra



Category: Merlin (TV), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Read at Your Own Risk, Swanfire - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7243243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KleopatraAlexandra/pseuds/KleopatraAlexandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have this work posted on my tumblr page as well as my account on fanfiction.<br/>My tumblr is here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kleopatraalexandria</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. The New Dark One

**Author's Note:**

> I have this work posted on my tumblr page as well as my account on fanfiction.  
> My tumblr is here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kleopatraalexandria

To Have and To Hold

Chapter One: The New Dark One

* * *

 

“So let me get this straight,” the former Evil Queen interrupted for the fifth time. “Your dagger just crumbled?”

Rumpelstiltskin was normally a very patient man, when he needed to be. However, with the recent events, namely the death of the very son he had created the entire curse for and being held captive by a crazy green witch from Oz, his patience was about as thick as a thread of spider’s thread. If Belle hadn’t been sitting next to him, Emma was sure the (former?) Dark One would have fried his former student.

“It’s that what I have said for the last ten minutes?” Gold questioned in a sharp, biting tone.

Regina glared and would have retorted if her step daughter hadn’t stopped her first. “Why don’t you start from the very beginning? Preferably without interruption,” Snow White said; the last part of her statement being directed at Regina.

Gold nodded. “I was in the holding cell that Zelena kept me in when, like usual, the green witch decided she wanted to gloat about her plans.” Gold paused, his jaw working feverously, his anger as clear as a blue sky on a cloudless day. “This time she decided to taunt me about Bae and his. . . death. After she gloated for a good forty-five minutes, she decided she was bored and ordered me to go and kill. . .”

Belle reached over and laid her hand across Gold’s. She gave him a smile before motioning for him to continue.

Gold sighed heavily. “She ordered me to kill Belle, saying that since my son had died, Belle was the only one holding me back from joining her.”

Emma snorted in a very unlady-like manner. “Is she stupid or something?”

Gold’s lips curved into a thin line, his smile not reaching his eyes. “When she gave me the order, I felt the weight of it for a very brief, agonizing moment before Zelena began to shout. The weight of the order vanished and that was when I realized so had the powers of the Dark One. When I finally turned my attention to my capture, the Kris Dagger had completely turned to dust. After she realized that she couldn’t hold me anymore, the coward ran as fast as her high-heeled feet would let her.”

Snow’s expression mirrored her husband’s; a look of complete confusion. “Then how did you manage to use magic?”

Gold snickered. “Magic doesn’t disappear. Even if my powers started out as those of the Dark One, three centuries of learning is bound to produce some sort of result. I have a power of my own but it isn’t as strong as the Dark One’s magic, or as easily accessible.”

Emma thought for a moment. “Then is the Dark One gone forever?”

Gold sighed again, his years seeming to catch up with him in a matter of seconds. “That I am not sure of , dearie. A magic like that doesn’t simple vanish. In theory, the dagger and the powers should have remained with me until the moment someone stabbed me with the dagger. For the dagger to just disappear along with the powers, even I cannot answer that.”

“We need to get to the bottom of this. We don’t need my dear sister” Regina spat, “to figure something out before us.”

“For once, I agree with Regina” Snow said before turning to look at the older woman. “No offense.”

Regina shrugged. “None taken.”

Emma shook her head. “I need some fresh air,” she breathed as she stood up from her desk chair. She looked over at her son. “Don’t wander off, alright kid?”  
Henry nodded, having enough decency to look guilty.

“Don’t forget to take your gun,” Charming commented as she walked out the front of the sheriff’s station.

The daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming simple help up her handheld for them to see before continuing on her way. The cool, crisp autumn air contrasted sharply to the humid, tense air of the room she had previously occupied. It was a welcomed change, especially after the craziness of the Wicked Witch of the West and her poop-throwing pet flying monkeys. Luckily for the group, Henry had accidently found his old storybook while helping Snow (whom he thought was Mary Margret at the time) with clearing out her closet. Being almost nine months pregnant made it really difficult to clean anything. Henry’s memories returned, something that overjoyed and saddened Emma at the same time. Overjoyed, because her son could finally go back to the way he had been before, as well as the rest of the town, now that they didn’t have to hide their connection with the teen. Saddened because Henry could now remember the man they had all buried just a week ago.  
Now you’ll never get you happy ending, her thoughts taunted.

Emma shook her head, tossing away the traitorous thoughts. Whatever she had had before had died with Neal. It didn’t do her any good to dwell on the past. The past only contained painful memories; both of recent events and older ones. Emma was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the person staring at her until she was within ten feet of them. Within a second, her gun was in her hand a pointed at the person standing in the shadows. The light of the street lamp was centered on her like a spot light might be centered on a lead actress.

“What the hell?” Emma blurted out as she realized what she was staring at.

The person in the shadows was definitely male but that was the only thing the savior of Storybrook could say about him. He was dressed in what appeared to be black clothing that was a mix of a fashion from the Enchanted Forest and the Land Without Magic. The most visibly thing about him was the bone white mask he was wearing that covered the top half of his face, leaving only his dark eyes showing. Something silver flashed into Emma’s line of vision before her eyes darted to the object in his hand. She had only seen the Kris Dagger a handful of times but the curving, sharp blade was easy to recognize. Unfortunately, the blank side of the dagger was facing her, keeping her from figuring out his name.

“Put your hands where I can see them,” she ordered, her hair blowing in the cold autumn breeze.

Instead of heeding her order, the new Dark One simply took a step forward, his profile entering the dim light of the street lamp. His clothing wasn’t black like she had originally thought. Dark greens and browns made up most of the outfit but his mask was the exact same shade that she imagined it to be. The white contrasted with the darkness of his clothing and eyes, reminding Emma exactly who she was dealing with.

“If you don’t stop, I am going to shoot!” Emma stated, trying to keep her hands steady. Gold, she could deal with but a new, unknown enemy who suddenly  
possessed the seemingly unlimited powers of the Dark One was not someone Emma wanted to mess with.

The person stopped, slowly tilting their head to the side in an extremely creepy manner. All the crazy scary movies she had seen in her life pale in comparison to the man standing before her. A smirk slowly spread across his face and in that moment, Emma knew; she knew that this was someone she had meet before, someone she knew but she couldn’t put her finger on who. It was like trying to catch water with a cup that was filled with holes; his identity completely escaped her. And that scared her.

The man continued forward in an extremely slow manner. Emma started to back up but froze when an arm wound its way around her waist. The hand that held her gun fell uselessly to her side. Whoever this man was, he was able to so easily draw her in and he definitely wasn’t letting go. Emma inhaled a shaky breathe was the smirk stretched into a grin before the mystery man leaned forward. The gun slipped from her hand and her eyes fell shut as his lips softly brushed hers, almost like a pair of butterfly wings batting against her skin.

“Emma,” he breathed and she slowly felt herself drifting. . . only to be brought back to reality by a loud and harsh gunshot.

Emma jerked away from the man with enough force to land on her butt. She mentally took inventory, scanning her brain for any sort of pain or wound that the gun shot had left behind. It was only when Charming ran into the lamp’s light, his gun leveled at the retreating form of the Dark One that she realized she hadn’t been the target. Emma was shaking severely as her father helped her to her feet. She wasn’t even aware that she was crying until Charming began to wipe away the tears gently.

“What the hell was that? Who was that guy?” Prince Charming asked in a quiet tone that didn’t reach his eyes for once.

“I-I don’t know. I was walking, trying to clear my head when he suddenly appeared. I. . . he. . .”

Charming wrapped his daughter in his arms, slowly leading her back to the station.

“How did you find me?” Emma whispered.

Charming’s gaze turned to rest on her for a second before returning to the front. “We heard you shouting for someone to freeze. Henry wanted to run out to see what was going on but, as usual, no one would let him. I grabbed my gun and took out the door before anyone could stop me. I expected to see you facing off against Zelena, which I realize now that it probably would have been a better idea for either Regina or Gold to have come out first. What I didn’t expect, however, was to see you standing there, lips locked with a complete stranger.”

“Then why did you shoot?” Emma asked, her voice growing steadier as she regained her composure.

“When I realized that you were just kind of standing there, not really doing anything. If it was someone you knew, you would have at least done more that just that. I realized he, whomever it was, was a threat to you and acted accordingly,” Charming explained, his eyes resting once again on his daughter.

“What happened?”

Emma looked up to see her very pregnant mother running her way, which was more of a waddle than an actual run. Snow immediately wrapped her first born in her arms, gently smoothing her hair in a motherly fashion. Emma’s face immediately when beat red as she realized everyone was still in the station. They could no doubt see the tears running down her face and the dirt that clung to her jeans where she hit the ground after wrenching herself out of the Dark One’s arms.

“I-I’m fine,” Emma assured but clearly it wasn’t good enough since Henry launched himself into his birth mother’s arms, wrapping his around her waist.

“What happened, Ms. Swan?” Gold asked as he hobbled over, leaning heavily on Belle and his cane.

“She probably should sit down first,” Regina commented, surprising the occupants of the room. “She looks as if she is about to collapse.”

Emma sent her former rival a thankful look before sinking into her comfortable chair that Hook had brought over.

“What happened, love?” Hook asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

All eyes were on Emma at this point. Her face was entirely red at this point, the full realization of what transpired hitting her like a ton of bricks. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I was out walking, clearing my head like I said I was going to.” She sighed softly, trying to turn the events that just transpired into words. “I didn’t even see hit until he was standing about ten feet from me.”

“Who?” Belle asked leaning across her True Love to get a better look at Emma.

Emma swallowed the lump that had appeared suddenly in her throat. “The new Dark One.”

“What?” Regina shouted as Gold exclaimed “Who is he?” Both shot the other a look that could have killed anyone else, if they hadn’t been the Evil Queen and Rumpelstiltskin. Emma’s lip twitched, surprisingly glad that some things didn’t change.

“I don’t know who he is but he seems familiar. Maybe a former enemy or someone from my past? What I do know is he had the same dagger that crumbled on Zelena just this morning.”

“Did you see his name?” Regina asked quickly, looking for something to grasp onto despite the strange events.

Emma shook her head. “He had the side of the blade with his name on it facing away from me. What I do know is that he wears a white mask from here” she pointed to the spot just above her lips “to here,” she motioned to the top of her head. “He wears dark clothing in different shades of browns and greens, which is a mix of Land Without Magic and Enchanted Forest fashion. He. . . seemed extremely familiar. He was able to somehow make me drop my guard enough to get close.”

“How close?” Hook asked, the tone of his voice indicating that he was clearly not pleased.

“I- he. . . well,” Emma began, not really sure what to say. She fidgeted in her seat, not at all comfortable with where the conversation was heading. Luckily, her father took that moment to step in.

“When I came upon them, the Dark One had his arms around Emma and. . .” he paused for a moment, to thank of what to say. “He was almost kissing her, he was that close.”

Hook stood up abruptly, causing everyone in the room to jump. “Just who does he think he is? Putting his hands on my girl-“

“I think you need to slow down there,” Emma said as she slowly stood up. “I am not your girl.”

“Swan-“

“No,” Emma cut him off. “I do not belong to anyone. I choose who I want to be with, not you or anyone else. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Hook agreed.

“As much fun as I am having by watching you torment the pirate, we need to address the matter at hand,” Gold said, drawing attention back to him. “There is one thing all of you should know. When a person first comes into contact with the powers of the Dark One, they are mentally unstable. I have first-hand experience of this. A person’s judgment becomes clouded by the things they desire. My own goal was to keep my son safe.” Gold looked extremely guilty in that moment. “I ended up pushing him away because I left the darkness get the better of me.”

“What are you saying, Crocodile?” Hook asked.

Gold met the eyes of everyone in the room before turning his gaze to Emma, his dark eyes staring into hers. “If this new Dark One has formed an obsession with Ms. Swan like I believe he has, we may not be enough to stop him.”

“Then what do we do?” Snow asked quietly after an awkward moment of silence.

Gold sighed again, his expression telling all about his dislike for the next words that left his lips. “I think it’s time we need to pay a certain fairy a visit.”


	2. More Unanswered Questions

To Have and To Hold

Chapter Two: More Unanswered Questions

* * *

 

Emma sat in her usual chair, her hands wrapped around a hot mug of her favorite drink: hot cocoa with cinnamon. Henry had become bored by all the ‘adult talk’ and Belle decided to take him to the library after stopping at Granny’s for some ice cream. Hook had found a blanket sitting in the closet and wrapped it around her shoulders when the situation finally hit her in full. She sat there, shaking for a good thirty minutes before she finally calmed down. By that time, Gold had gotten a hold of Mother Superior, or as she was known in the Enchanted Forest, the Blue Fairy. The oldest being among them looked extremely worried as Gold told her of the dagger crumbling and Emma relayed her tale of what happened less than an hour ago.

“Have you ever heard of this happening before, Blue?” Snow asked, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her stomach.

Blue tiredly shook her head. “I cannot say that I have. In all the years I have been alive, I have never encountered a Dark One who hasn’t killed their predecessor.” She paused for a moment before turning to Gold. “No one stabbed you with your dagger at all, correct?”

Gold rolled his eyes. “Would I be sitting here if they did? Of course they didn’t, dearie. The only person who had contact with my dagger before it crumbled was Zelena and there was most certainly not any males in the vicinity of her house during the time of my capture.”

“So we’re back to Square One?” Emma asked quietly as she took a sip of her cocoa.

“I guess so,” Regina replied as she sat back in her chair.

After a few awkward moments, Charming nervously cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. “I’m not sure if it would help any but how was the Dark One first created?”

Snow’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You think the origins might have the answer?”

Charming shrugged. “Possibly.”

“It might be helpful,” Gold began, before deadpanning the next part, “but the only thing that is known about the Dark One’s origins are the rumors that have been spreading around for centuries, maybe even a few millennia.”

“What are some of the rumors?” Emma questioned.

Gold frowned for a moment. “From what I can recall, some people believe that the Dark One was created when an evil Queen crushed the heart of someone she loved but didn’t love her in return. That rage that the Queen felt manifested into a dark power that animated the man’s corpse. Another story suggests that someone stumbled upon the Vault of the Dark One and opened it, unleashing its powers. Those powers latched onto the only living thing in the area. Another story says that an old man mourned the loss of his daughter and tried to bring her back by dropping her body in the Vault. The power attached itself to the deceased woman and animated her body with dark magic.” Gold sighed heavily. “There are more uncompleted stories but those are the only ones that reoccur multiple times.”

“Well, shit,” Regina cursed as she throw a fireball at the wall, hitting an innocent picture that was hanging there.

“Hey!” Snow shouted.

“Be thankful that is wasn’t anyone’s face,” Regina said as she held her hands up in mock defense, causing Snow to promptly fall quiet.

“We need an attack plan,” Hook said for the first time in more than an hour, which Emma thought might be a new personal record.

“We can’t attack what we don’t know,” Regina countered.

“I meant in regards to Swan,” Hook said.

Emma frowned. “What about me?”

“Considering you are very likely to be his target?” Hook questioned rhetorically.

“Oh.”

“I, for once, have to agree with the pirate. I wouldn’t want Bae’s spirit to come back a haunt me because I let his True Love get kidnapped by the new Dark One.”

If Hook looked offended at Gold’s agreement, he look even more so with his comment about Baelfire. “How do you know he was her True Love?”

Gold simply pointed in Emma’s direction, more specifically at the necklace she was wearing. “Belle told me that Bae still had that necklace, even when you were all transported back to the Enchanted Forest. In theory, it shouldn’t have made the trip, since it was from this world. However, seeing as it is a representation of Bae and Emma’s love, their True Love to be exact, it was able to cross the dimensions with him. Only an object given out of true love would be able to cross dimensions twice. Baelfire returned that necklace to Emma the day he passed away.”

Blue nodded in agreement, something the occupants of the room found bizarre. “I have to agree with Rumpelstiltskin on the matter. True Love is an extremely powerful magic, especially since Emma herself is a product of True Love. That is probably what makes Henry so special as well. He is also a child of True Love; a second generation, if you will.”

“Great, now the fairy believes the Crocodile. Could my day get any worse?” Hook sarcastically asked the ceiling.

Emma’s lip twitched at the deadpan response. She was about to comment when Gold’s phone went off. Her humor went from minor to uncontrollable as she realized someone had set his ringtone to A Tale as Old as Time from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The culprit was most likely Gold’s very own son, before he passed, or Henry. Her laughter was cut short as Gold stood abruptly.

“Tell me where you are?” Gold asked, his voice full of panic. “Ok. We are on our way.” He snapped the flip-phone shut. “That was Belle. She said the Wicked Witch has her and Henry trapped in the library.”

Emma jumped up with a quickness, grabbing her badge and gun with a quickness. The entire group was out the door in less than a second, heading down the street at full speed.

“There she is,” Regina hissed as her eyes locked onto her half-sister’s form.

“And she has Henry,” Snow breathed as her eyes zeroed in on her own grandson.

The entire group came to a crashing halt as Zelena’s grin grew even more in length. Belle was laying on the group less than four feet away from the Wicked Witch, just out of their reach. The beauty appeared to be unconscious and Emma hoped for Zelena’s sake that it was just that. Henry stared wide-eyed at the forms of his family. Zelena had a confident smile in place as she tightened her grip on Henry’s shoulder.

“Hello, dear sister. I was hoping to see you here,” the ginger replied confidently.

“Let my son go-“

“Or what?” Zelena scoffed. “It’s not like you can do anything when I have dear old Henry as my hostage.” She laughed, a cold and cruel sound. “I believe I have you exactly where I want you.”

“What do you want?” Emma asked, her gun level with Zelena’s face.

“What I have always wanted.” Zelena’s face immediately turned sour. “My happy ending.”

“Time travel is impossible, Zelena,” Gold replied, startling everyone. “You can’t get a second chance.”

Zelena snorted. “Of course I can. And now, since you are no longer the Dark One, who is there to stop me?”

Regina made a fireball appear in her hand at the very same moment Snow White drew back her loaded bow. Emma’s finger tightened just slightly on the trigger of her gun as Charming and Hook leveled their swords at Zelena’s face. The green Witch merely laughed.

“How are you going to stop me without hurting your dear Henry?” Zelena taunted, her eyes dancing with laughter.

“Hey Thin Mint!”

Zelena turned, outrage clear across her face before she was knocked clear off her feet, landing more than twenty feet away from her hostage. Henry took that moment to run over to Belle as his mothers ran to his side. The Wicked Witch of the West sat up slowly, her face as red as her hair.

“Who dare to cross me?”

Emma looked up and her eyes immediately zeroed in on the masked figure of the new Dark One. A slightly crazed grin lit the visible portion of his face as he stepped forward into the lamp light.

“Oh, I apologize, Your Highness,” the man commented with a sarcastic smile and bow. “But you need to realize you cannot touch what is mine without suffering the consequences.” At this point, the carefree grin that had graced his face had faded into a frown that sent chills down the spines of everyone who witnessed it.

“And just who the hell are you?” Zelena demanded.

The grin was back in place. “Your worst nightmare.”

In the second he finished his sentence, the mystery man was gone and appeared right in Zelena’s face, his hand wrapping around her throat with enough force to lift her off of the ground.

“Now I am going to say this once and I hope I do not have to repeat myself. Touch my family again, and I will make sure Rumpelstiltskin’s wrath looks like a cat fight. You really don’t want to cross me,” he whispered harshly before dropping Zelena on the cold, hard concrete.

The heroes and villain allies froze when the Dark One turned and began to walk in their direction. Regina created another fireball to throw at the man but was left dumbfounded when he simply grinned and disappeared in a cloud of dark purple smoke. Zelena stood up quickly and disappeared before anyone could react.

“What that the man?” Snow asked in a squeaky voice.

“Uh-huh,” Emma nodded.

Snow sighed. “Great. Just what we need. Another lunatic on the loose.”

Emma snorted as she continued to check on her son. Belle was beginning to come to as Gold helped her into a sitting position.

“Are you alright, Belle?” the former Dark One asked gently.

Belle gave her True Love a soft smile. “I am now. I was worried what she might do to Henry but I see that you all managed to take her down.”

“Actually,” Emma began. “It wasn’t us that got Henry back. It was the new Dark One.”

At the look of confusion on Belle’s face, Gold continued Emma’s explanation. “It seems that we may have an unknown ally in the form of the new Dark One, whomever he is. He was the one that saved Henry.”

“But what I don’t understand is why he called Henry his family or what he has to do with Ms. Swan,” Regina questioned.

“Maybe he’s some nut who has deluded himself into thinking that Emma and Henry belong to him and no one else?” Hook questioned.

“Not likely,” Charming countered. “This is the first time you all have seen him, the second time for myself and Emma. We don’t know enough about him to be able to conclude anything at this point.”

“I agree with Charming on this,” Regina commented with a look of disbelief, almost as if she couldn’t believe she was saying it. “But I do want to know who he is.”

“He may be someone from my past,” Emma commented. “Do you remember one of the origin stories?”

“Which one?” Hook asked.

“The one with the Queen.” Emma looked over at Regina. “It sounds an awful lot like what happened to Graham.”

Regina blanched slightly. “That was more than three years ago. It that was actually how the Dark One was created, wouldn’t Gold have lost his powers three years ago instead of now?”

Gold hummed. “It could have to do with the town. Magic works differently here. It could have possibly taken that long to transfer.”

“That would explain why he was so familiar,” Snow commented. “Graham really cared for Emma and he saw Henry as one of his own.”

Emma frowned but didn’t comment. The story made sense. The man did seem awfully familiar but not like someone from her past. The familiarity felt recent, but then again that could be from the town’s magic, like Gold had suggested. Emma needed answers and she needed them now.


	3. The Darkness Revealed

To Have and To Hold

Chapter Three: The Darkness Revealed

 

* * *

 

Henry sighed heavily as he slammed the rather large and dusty book shut, causing the adults in the room to look up. He gave them a sheepish look before getting up and heading to the back of the library. He snuck a quick glance at his mom—Emma—and noticed just how tired she looked. She seemed to be under a lot of stress, with the new Dark One running around and what not.

All of the adults seemed to believe that Graham was the new Dark One. Henry had to admit; Graham’s story did match up with one of the supposed origins of the Dark One’s curse. Henry had always looked up to the Huntsman when he was younger. He would be overjoyed if Graham was actually back. He was like a father figure to the young boy.

He just wasn’t the father figure Henry wanted back.

Henry sighed as he finally made it to the back of the library. His mother—Regina—had cast a protection spell around the library, using Henry as the center of the blood wards. Since Zelena wasn’t biologically related to Henry, there was no way she would be able to get past the wards. Which brought Henry back to the whole reason he had slipped away.

Henry checked around the corner. He could see the light of the room where the Charmings plus Regina were working but, unless they were to get up and walk to the doorway, they couldn’t see or hear him. Belle and his grandpa had gone home; Regina sending a couple of crystals to set up a similar protection for the couple as the one at the library. It too was based on blood wards. They had no idea was Henry was up to. That was perfectly fine with Henry. He was about to do something that he was sure they wouldn’t approve of.

“Neal Cassidy,” Henry whispered, almost holding his breath.

The Heart of the Truest Believer waited a few moments, looking around the room before his shoulders slumped.

“Dad?” he tried again, still a little hopeful.

Still, no one appeared and that really began to upset Henry. A thought dawned on him and Henry about slapped his forehead for forgetting it.

“I need to use his real name,” Henry muttered, not believing that he forgot something was important as that. He drew in an unsteady breath before letting it out slowly.

“Baelfire,” he whispered, a word that was barely audible in the quiet room.

His heart was in his throat, his eyes stinging as he keep back the tears that he knew would fall if this didn’t work. Each moment that passed, however, caused his heart to sink lower and lower. His lower lip trembled as he continued to look around the dark room. He bowed his head, tears slipping down his cheeks. He didn’t care that he was crying. He didn’t care if his mothers were to find him like this. The only thing that he really cared about at the moment was seeing his dad again.

Henry was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even realize that he had back up into the wall, slowly sliding down until his bottom was on the cold floor. He subconsciously drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and cried. He was so caught up in his own emotions that he seemed to forget the world around him.

Henry nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder. He sighed, not at all surprised that his gramps had found him, nor was he surprised that the adults had come looking for him. What really surprised him, however, was looking up and realizing that it wasn’t his gramps that had his hand on his shoulder.

“Dad?” Henry whispered, not really believing his eyes.

Sitting on the floor before him was Neal Cassidy. His dad’s face was clouded with worry as he ran a hand through Henry’s hair slowly. He looked just as Henry had last seen him: scruffy stubble graced his face, his warm eyes were bright even when they were clouded with worry, and his hair was the exact same shade as before. The only thing different was the clothes he was wearing. He was wearing w mix of clothing from the Enchanted Forest and the Land Without Magic, an odd mesh up but it seemed to suit him just fine. His hands were comfortably warm as he wiped at the tears on Henry’s face. A small wrinkle appeared on his forehead as his eyebrows creased together.

Henry practically threw his arms around his dad’s neck, causing the two of them to fall over. Neal simple chuckled lightly, running a hand up and down Henry’s back in a comforting manner. The other hand had buried itself in his son’s hair. Henry felt the tears running down his face again, this time for a completely different reason. His dad was back!

“Hey buddy,” Neal whispered quietly, holding his son in a warm embrace. “Sorry it took so long to answer. Still trying to get the hang of this Dark One business.”

Henry shook his head, burying it further into the space between his dad’s neck and shoulder. “It’s ok. You didn’t know,” Henry replied, repeating the words from the first time he meet his dad.

Neal gave a watery chuckle of his own. The two didn’t exchange words. They just simple sat there, holding each other. Henry really didn’t want the moment to end.

“Henry?!”

Neal sighed. Leave it to Regina to call out at the worst possible time. Henry didn’t seemed to please either, if the look on his face when they pulled away from each other was anything to go by.

“I think he went this way,” Henry heard Emma say, her voice getting closer.

Henry looked over at Neal and saw a mischievous smile appear. He quickly turned to Henry.

“I’ll be back. I promise,” he whispered before he kissed his son on the forehead.

Henry nodded. Neal disappeared in a cloud of dark purple smoke. Not even a second after the smoke cleared, a switch was flipped, illuminating the room in florescent lighting. Henry blinked, squinting his eyes as he tried to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.

“Henry?”

Henry turned and saw Emma standing in the doorway, the same worry that his dad’s face had shown only minutes before graced her features. She took a couple of long steps forward, crossing the room until she sat on the ground in the exact same spot Neal had been moments before.

“Are you ok?” she asked as she carded a hand through his hair.

Henry smiled at the similarities between his parents. “I’m ok.”

Emma frowned. “Why were you sitting in the dark?” She looked around the room, as if to find the answer in the brightly lit corners.

Henry looked down at his hands, hiding the smile that spread across his face. “Just thinking about dad,” he answered truthfully.

Emma’s face fell even more. She gently reached over and wiped away the remaining tears that were left on Henry’s face.

“I know you miss him, Henry,” Emma whispered as she pulled her son to her.

“Do you miss him to, Mom?” Henry asked as he spied a dark figure hiding behind one of the bookshelves.

“Of course I do,” Emma whispered softly, as if she was afraid to admit it out loud.

“Do you love Dad?” Henry asked innocently. Neal raised an eyebrow from his place in the shadows.

Emma was quiet for a moment. “More that you will ever know.”

Henry just smiled and hugged his mother, giving his father a smile, one that Neal returned just as easily.

“Emma?!” David said as he ran into the room.

Emma and Henry pulled away quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked as she noticed the panicked look on her father’s face.

“Snow’s gone into labor,” David explained with a pale face.

“We need to get her to the hospital,” Emma said as she started out the door.

Henry stopped in the doorway and glanced back at where Neal was hidden. The Dark One gave a nod and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Henry smiled, knowing exactly where his dad was going.

The hospital was chaotic when the Charmings arrived. Whale quickly rushed Snow back into a room, dragging a panicked Charming with him. Regina and Emma, on the other hand, began to discuss a game plan.

“Zelena will no doubt come after your sibling,” Regina commented as she leaned against the wall.

Emma grimaced. The idea of her having a younger sibling was still a little odd. “How many more of those crystals do you have?”

Regina sighed. “Not enough. The most I would be able to do would be put a barracked around the room. But then Zelena would try to take a hostage to lure your parents out of the room.”

“We could call for backup,” Henry commented.

“But everyone is either already here or on their way,” Emma replied. She had given Belle a call on the way over and had left Hook a message on his mobile phone.

“Not everyone,” Henry said, giving his mothers an innocent look.

“No,” Regina countered. “Absolutely not. We are not calling the Dark One here. We have no idea who it is or what it wants.”

“He,” Henry commented with a frown.

“Huh?” Emma question.

“Mom keep saying ‘it’. The Dark One is a ‘he’, remember?”

Regina frowned but nodded none-the-less. “He, then. We don’t need to call him.”

Too late, Henry thought but keep it to himself.

The Swan-Mills group sat quietly in the waiting room. They were quickly joined by Rumpelstiltskin and Belle. Hook appeared about thirty minutes later, his breath reeking of alcohol and his confidence was on full display, like a peacock strutting and showing off his tail.

“Swan,” he slurred as he draped an arm across Emma’s shoulder. “What do you say we get something to drink later after your little sibling is born?”

Emma wrinkled her nose. She reached up and quickly untangled Hook’s arm from around her shoulder. She turned to speak to the pirate and had to breathe through her mouth to keep from vomiting because of the smell. “I would rather not start drinking when Zelena is currently after my little sibling.”

“Brother.”

Everyone turned to see David standing in the door, a grin clear on his face as he held the little bundle for all to see. Emma was immediately out of her seat and standing beside her dad, staring down into the sleeping face of her new baby brother.

“He’s so tiny,” Henry commented as he stood between his gramps and mom.

“He is really precious, isn’t he?”

Regina was the quickest of the group to react, slamming her sister into the wall and holding her there in place with magic. Zelena simply looked bored before disappearing into a cloud of green smoke. She reappeared on the other side of the group, looking just a bored.

“Now that wasn’t very nice,” she drawled. “I was just coming to say hello to the baby.”

Emma had her gun drawn and aimed at Zelena in a matter of seconds. “Like hell you are,” she replied, her voice shaking from angry. This bitch had already taken away Neal. She wasn’t about to let Zelena touch another person precious to her.

Zelena simple waved her hand, leaving David emptyhanded and her suddenly with an armful of a newborn baby boy. She cooed down at him softly. “Isn’t he so cute?”

David started forward, only to be stopped by Belle grabbing ahold of his arm. “Don’t do anything brash,” she said. “She might hurt your son.”

Zelena just cackled in response.

Ok, Dad, Henry thought to himself. Now would be a great time to help.

As soon as Henry got done processing the thought, the baby in Zelena’s arms disappeared, leaving the Wicked Witch looking shocked and thrown. Henry grinned when he felt a warm hand rest itself on his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, spying his dad standing next to him, an easy-going grin on his face as he held Emma’s younger brother gently in his arms. Henry nearly laughed out loud.

“What the hell?” Zelena shouted, looking around the corridor, trying to find out where the child had disappeared to.

It didn’t take her long before her eyes locked with Neal’s. Zelena turned awfully pale, so pale, in fact, that Henry was almost sure that she would pass out. Henry did laugh out loud this time. Of course, that drew everyone’s attention to him as well as the person standing next to him.

“She looks like she is about to pass out,” Neal commented in a nonchalant manner. “Could she get any paler?” he asked Henry, giving his son a glance.

“I don’t know,” Henry replied. “She looks a little green to me.”

That comment caused Neal to give out a bark of a laugh.

“Neal?” Emma whispered, staring wide-eyed.

Neal gave her a grin. “Hey, Emma. Here,” he said as he handed the delicate bundle to her. “Hold your brother. I have a bug to get rid of.”

Of course, as soon as the words left his mouth, Zelena disappeared with a scream. Neal plugged his ears and scrunched his face up.

“Damn, she’s loud,” he complained. “Ow!” he shouted as he hit upside the head by a very pissed off Emma Swan.

“What the hell, Neal?!” she shouted. “How are you even here?”

Neal grinned sheepishly. “I kind of thought you would figure that one out yourself.” He reached into the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a very familiar looking knife.

“Bae?” Rumpelstiltskin whispered as he took in the sight of his son and the dagger in his hand.

Neal smiled weakly as he turned the blade for all to see. Baelfire was written elegantly across the silver blade. The former Dark One closed his eyes, fighting against the burning feeling behind them. As much as he loved to have his son back, this was not how he wanted it to go.

“Damn,” Regina swore. “Guess our theory was wrong.”

Neal gave her a very thin smile. He quickly turned to his son and held out the dagger. “Can you keep this for me, buddy?”

Henry blinked in surprise. “Me?!”

Neal nodded. “You.”

Henry frowned. “But wouldn’t it be better if you gave it to Mom?” he asked, referring to Emma.

Neal just smiled. “I want you to have it.” He looked over at his papa. “I know when I was younger, I was able to keep the darkness back for Papa.” He turned back to Henry. “I want you to do the same for me.”

Henry grinned and took the dagger from his dad.

“You don’t seem as mad as you father did when we was the Dark One,” Regina commented as she watched Neal carefully.

Neal gave another thin smile. “That’s because we’re not in the Enchanted Forest. Magic is different here. And, as such, so it the Dark One’s curse.” He sat down in the chair next to Henry, Emma immediately taking the seat on his other side. “Back home, the Darkness is the most prominent being in the Dark One. While the Dark One retains some of their old characteristics, the Darkness acts like a mold, growing on all of the bad parts and slowly bringing them to the surface.” Neal suddenly turned and looked at Charming, a grin stealing across his face. “Thanks for shooting at me, by the way.”

Charming, who was holding his infant son, turned red suddenly and began to stutter an apology.

Neal simply laughed him off. “Don’t worry about it. I think the sound actually startled me enough to push the Darkness into the back of my mind. It’s still there but it’s like it’s hiding in the shadows of a very brightly lit room.”

Emma reached over and took Neal’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Is that why you grabbed me when you saw me?”

Neal looked sheepish again. “Yea, well, the Darkness was a little more in control that I would have liked it to be. I remember waking up and thinking about you. Everything after that until David shot at me is very fuzzy.” He frowned and turned to look at Emma. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Emma shook her head. “No. You just startled me a little.”

Neal sighed in relief. He stood up, gently letting go of Emma’s hand and quickly embraced his father. Emma shared a grin with Henry at the pair, as everything seemed to be going right for once.

Unfortunately, Emma thought a little too soon. With a sudden velocity, the ground shook, nearly knocking everyone standing to the floor. Neal quickly supported his father and Hook even caught a stumbling Belle.

“What the hell is going on now?” Emma complained as she quickly turned to David. “Dad, I need you to get back to Mom. Regina, is there any way you can put a protection spell over them?”

“I can do it,” Neal replied.

Emma frowned. “No. I don’t want you to do anything that might bring the Darkness forward.”

Neal rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Emma. A small protection spell isn’t going to hurt.”

“I’m in agreeance with Ms. Swan,” Rumpelstiltskin countered, causing his son to pull a face before sighing in defeat.

“Besides,” Emma commented. “I want you to come with me. It could have been Zelena throwing a temper tantrum. I figured you might get a kick out of scaring her again.”

Neal grinned in response.

Emma turned to look at Hook. “I need you to run and get the Dwarves for me. Tell Leroy to meet me at the station.”

Hook nodded. “Of course.” He turned to face Neal. “It’s good to see you again, lad. I’m glad you are back, even if the circumstances are not the best.”

Neal smiled in response. “Thanks, Killian. That means a lot.”

The pirate nodded before turning back to Emma. “Swan,” he said as he took his leave.

Emma sighed. “No let’s go figure out exactly what that was.”

Neal nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.” He turned to Henry. “Stay here with Regina, ok? If anything happens, do not hesitate to call me.”

Henry nodded. He quickly gave both of his parents a hug before going to stand next to his other mother, who smiled warmly at him.

“Ready?” Neal asked, turning to Emma.

Emma smiled. “Of course,” she replied pulling her keys out of her pocket. “I’ll drive. I would rather you use as little magic as possible.”

Neal nodded and followed her out the hospital doors. They had a problem to take care of.


	4. An Enemy Arrives

To Have and To Hold

Chapter Four: An Enemy Arrives

 

* * *

 

Neal absolutely hated lying. It probably stimmed from when he was a child, growing up for those two years with his father being the Dark One. Neal knew his papa had meant well but he was constantly lying and hiding things from his son, all in hopes of protecting him. Neal wasn’t one to ordinarily lie about things. He had always believed in telling the truth and trying not to keep secrets. Sometimes it didn’t work but he tried to keep that to a minimum.

This was different, though. This time, he was lying because he didn’t want anyone to panic, especially Emma, Henry, and his Papa. Why was he lying and what about exactly?

He wasn’t as in control as he had first let on. He had told the truth about when he had first woken up and everything being fuzzy up until David fired his gun. He just kind of exaggerated on how in control he was. Which was why he had given his son the dagger that bared his name. He really hoped Henry could be the one to help save him. Either Henry or Emma. Maybe even his Papa.

It was part of the reason he had given his son the dagger that bared his name. He wanted, needed something and someone to anchor him to reality. He really wanted that person to be his son.

Neal sighed as he leaned back in the familiar leather seat of the yellow VW beetle, trying to calm the voices in his head. He felt Emma slip her hand into his and the voices died down a little, just enough for him to regain control.

There was something different about the magic that swirled within him. Before, when he was sharing a body with his papa, he could feel the Dark One’s curse, swirling in his papa’s soul, like a black, burnt tar that clung to every bad thought and past action. He could feel the payment of magic swirling around him; the price of every bit of magic that his papa had performed. It wasn’t a feeling that he could easily forget, due to the dark nature of the Curse.

The magic swirling just under the surface of his skin had no price. And that was what worried him. He had always came to learn that all magic had a price, not matter how small or big the magic being performed was. No matter how far he search into the magic, he couldn’t find any inkling of a price or consequence.

Even the magic itself felt different. This magic felt ancient, much older than the magic his papa had used before had felt. It also felt much darker, as if someone had poured an even more potent toxin into his bloodstream. Before, the darkness had felt like an angry, hurt wolf, trying to fight against the light that he had keep in his papa’s soul for so long. He had always thought that the darkness outweighed the light in his papa by probably 90% to 10%. In actuality, the darkness only took over about 60% of his souls. It had just festered on all of Rumpelstiltskin’s self-doubt and loneliness.

Looking back on it now, Neal wondered how his father would fair if he was in the position his son was in. In Neal’s case, the Darkness weighted heavily on his soul, acting like a caged animal on the defensive and a ferocious monster on the offensive. Neal knew that if he didn’t have Emma, Henry, and his papa to hold onto, he would have succumbed to the Darkness as soon as he woke up. It weighed on his soul, the dark voices whispering taunts and threats, bringing all of his worst memories to the surface. The thing that continued to play in his mind wasn’t a taunt about his father letting him go, nor was it a ridicule for his mother having left him for a pirate.

It was about the night he left Emma and ultimately ended up abandoning the son he didn’t know he had. The voice called him a coward, continuously gorging him about how he was exactly like his father and grandfather. Neal bit his lip as one of the voice made a particular nasty jab about how Emma didn’t deserve someone as dark and tainted as him.

“Hey,” Emma said suddenly, giving his hand a soft squeeze. “Everything alright in there? You look really deep in thought.”

Neal opened his eyes, nearly sighing in relief as the voices began to find from the forefront of his mind. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just thinking.”

Emma frowned. “That’s a lie.”

Neal snorted, momentarily cursing himself for forgetting about her superpower. “I’ll be ok. Eventually,” he replied as he pulled her hand into his lap, focusing on the warmth of it in his.

Emma was quiet for a moment. “You’re not as in control as you said you were, are you?”

Neal looked out the window, staring at the passing green foliage that made up the forest. “It’s getting easier,” he replied honestly.

“How so?” she asked as she steered the wheel with on hand, the other lacing her fingers with his.

Neal smiled at her, looking her dead in the eyes. “Because you’re here.”

Emma blinked, clearly a little thrown by the sheer amount of honestly in his voice. She gave him a soft smile. Neal could tell he accidentally made her uncomfortable. He looked down at their linked hands and bit his lip.

“Hey,” she said softly, giving her right hand a shake to get his attention. “I’m sorry if this is a little awkward but just give me some time, ok?” she asked quietly. “There are still some things I have to work out and I don’t want to try and commit to something to suddenly. I don’t want to get hurt again,” she admitted, whispering the last sentence, not quite meeting his eyes.

Neal felt his heart sink a little. Worry began to form in his gut and the Darkness seemed to latch right onto it. It began to show Neal different scenarios of how happy Emma would be if he hadn’t come back. It showed him how at peace she was, walking arm-in-arm with Hook, Henry tagging along with a smile on his face, the picture of a happy family. Neal inhaled sharply, closing his eyes to the on slot of images that began to play in his mind’s eye.

Emma gave his hand another squeeze, dispelling the images as quickly as they had started. “It’s going to be alright,” she replied. “You can get through this.”

“How are you so sure?” Neal asked, some of his vulnerability bubbled to the surface.

Emma smiled confidently. “Because you have people that are willing to stand behind you. Your father, Belle, my parents, Henry, Hook,” she said before trailing of. “And you have me.”

The last part was just barely above a whisper, showing how awkward she was feeling for even admitting that. Neal knew that it was an issue of self-confidence. He remembered how she used to get very uncomfortable when they had first been together, always shifting slightly whenever he complimented her or looking away suddenly when he called her beautiful. He knew, if she was really uncomfortable, she would have pulled her hand away. She didn’t and Neal couldn’t help the genuine smile that spread across his face.

“Who’s that?” Emma said suddenly, leaning up in her seat as she slowed the car down.

Neal looked over and noticed a figure walking along the road, heading in the same direction as the pair. Neal frowned. “You’ve never seen that person before?”

Emma shook her head, pulling her hand out of Neal’s as she parked the car on the side of the road. Neal looked back at the figure, a woman, he realized now that they were much closer. Before he even realized it, he was up and out of the car, something in his instincts telling him to go to the woman. He stopped himself as he realized that the instinct was the Darkness pulling at him and his conscious, moving him like a puppet on strings. Neal clenched his teeth, fighting against the pull, ignoring what should have been a natural reaction.

Neal continued to stare at the woman as Emma got out of the car. Something about the woman drew the Darkness forward to the front of his mind, like a siren singing at the top of her lungs. Neal clenched his teeth, trying as hard as he could to push the Darkness back to where he had locked it away. It didn't work, however. Something about this woman was screaming at the Darkness. Something about her was as familiar as it was ancient, wrapping around Neal like an intoxicating smell that he couldn't turn away from, making him dizzy with the desire to be next to her. It was only when Emma slipped her hand in his that he managed to get control of himself enough to push the Darkness back again.

The woman had her back to him, her midnight black hair cascading in knotted waves down her back until it came to rest at her waist. She was wearing a black, tattered dress that fit her in the right places, hugging her curves and accenting the frame of her body. It was only when Neal looked closer that he realized the dress was actually a dark, emerald green with a black overlay.

"Excuse me," Emma called softly.

The woman turned and Neal had to use every ounce of strength in his body to keep himself from walking to her. He clenched his jaw, worried that he might break a tooth with the force he was biting with. He knew he was fighting against an instinct that ran so deep, he could feel it in his blood, in his very soul.

The woman in question was pale, so pale in fact that her skin was almost white. She had a hauntingly beautiful face and Neal couldn't help but compare her to Emma. While Emma had always seemed so alive and energetic, this woman was the opposite. The way she carried herself screamed royalty and a gracious upbringing. Her face was almost like it had been etched out of marble, just as cold and unchanging. The really startling thing about her was her eyes. Piercing green eyes stared into his own brown ones, as if staring directly into his soul. The air around her was electrified with magic, sizzling and cracking against her skin. She was extremely beautiful and just a deadly.

"Are you lost?" Emma asked as she walked forward, pulling Neal with her.

Neal had to keep himself from dragging his feet in the ground. The Darkness inside him was more than happy to get close to this woman. The human part of him screamed that there was something very wrong about her.

"Just a little," she replied. She had an old accent, one Neal hadn't heard for many years. "Could you point me to the nearest village?" she asked, looking at Emma.

"Sure," Emma replied, never once taking her hand from Neal's. "Just keep following the road, heading that way," she said as she pointed in the direction they had just come from. "It will probably be about a thirty minute walk on foot but it’s a direct part."

The woman smiled, her whole face lighting up and the Darkness within Neal practically sang. "Thank you," she replied before her gazed shifted to Neal. Another smile quickly took over her features, this one threatening. "Well, this is a surprise," she commented as she walked forward.

Neal took a step back and clenched his teeth tighter. The woman stopped about five feet from him and began to look him up and down. Now that he was seeing her close up, something about her began to pull at his memory, at his human side. He knew that he had meet this woman before. He knew that was well as he knew his own soul. But where he had meet her continued to slip away from him, like water falling through cracks of a broken bowl.

"So the process has restarted, it seems," she commented as she slowly began to circle the pair. “So this is where you disappeared to.”

His finger twitched on its own accord, with the desire to reach out and touch the woman. It took everything in his power to fight against the natural instinct. And the only thing that was currently grounding him was Emma’s hand in his. Neal clenched Emma's hand tighter, his eyes never once leaving the woman's form. She walked with a calming air, one that quieted the voices in Neal's head. But not the way he wanted it to. Instead of quieting the Darkness, Neal felt his human side quieting, slowly relinquishing control and leaving the Darkness to fester. The woman smiled cunningly as she stopped directly in front of him and Neal felt himself begin to slip under the dark, black water.

* * *

Charming sighed as he power walked through the streets of Storybrook. As much as he would have loved to have stayed with his wife and new born son, he knew that he need to be out looking for the source of that earthquake. Emma and Neal had left, saying they’d take the forest part south part of the town that included the forest. Hook had left moments later, heading in the direction of the mines. Regina and Henry had stayed behind, both promising to watch Snow and the baby while Gold and Belle had volunteered to check out the shop to see what they could find to help. Well, Belle had offered. Gold had begrudgingly followed her lead.

“David?!”

Charming turned suddenly to see Ruby heading in his direction, her bright red heels tapping the ground as she practically ran across the street.

“Ruby! What’s wrong?” he asked as she finally reached him.

“There are some new people in town,” she explained.

Charming swore. Who else had Pan hired before the town had disappeared? He stopped his train of thought as he saw the hesitant look on her face. “Ruby?” he asked, clearly waiting for clarification.

“They aren’t from around here. As in, they aren’t from this world,” she continued.

David stared wide-eyed for a moment before he shook his shock off. “Show me.”

The pair quickly took off, heading in the direction of the docks. Charming pulled his phone out and quickly filled Regina in on where he was heading and what Ruby had told him.

“I’ll call you when we know more about the situation,” he said as he spotted the beach coming into view.

“You had better,” Regina replied before hanging up.

Charming rolled his eyes before quickly spotting four figures walking along the beach. “That them?” he asked Ruby.

She quickly nodded.

Charming stared at the four. The first person David saw was an elderly man with silver hair framing his face, ending just above his shoulders. He was wearing a long robe-like outfit of a darker red color with an intricate design down the front. He was shaking his head as two men continued to bicker back and forth.

“I’m saying we should go that way,” the blond man said.

“What? And trust your judgment?” the darker haired male countered.

The blond was well built and David could instantly tell he was a soldier, if not a knight. He carried himself with an air of dignity, something David had always seen with Snow. The man was obviously royalty—if the crown on his head was anything to go by—with a handsome face and bright blue eyes. He wore armor that was polished so well, that it almost reflected the sun. Over the armor, he wore a red tunic with the crest of a golden dragon decorating the front. At his hip was a gleaming silver and gold sword that Charming did not want to get on the other end of.

The darker haired man was practically the opposite. While the two were almost the same height, the darker haired man was extremely skinny and seemed a little underweight. He wore a dark blue shirt that had clearly seen better days with a pair of brown trousers and boots. He was wearing a brown leather jacket that was covered in tears and hole with a red scarf around his neck. He had high cheekbones and bright blue eyes that Charming could have sworn were lit up with electricity.

The blond promptly glared at the darker haired man. “I will have you know that my judgment is perfectly fine.”

“Oh, yeah?” the darker haired one countered.

“Yes,” the royal stated with a note of finality in his voice.

“Then who exactly is to blame for our current predicament?” the other asked, clearly amused.

If looks could kill, the grinning, amused man would be six feet under. “I will have you in the stocks for that.”

“You’ll have to catch me first.”

“I can catch you perfectly fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure about that? I know for a fact that, just this morning, I had to put a few extra holes in your belt.”

“Are you calling me fat?!”

“If you two are quite finished,” the last person of the group said suddenly. “We have company.”

David took a moment to look at the only woman of the group. She was extremely pretty, with her darker skin and dark, curly hair pulled up into an elegant hairstyle. She wore a lilac and gold dress that accented her waistline and hugged her body. Atop her head was a very pretty looking crown of gold that seemed to match the blonde’s. David knew instantly that, if the blond was a king, the woman was a queen.

“State you name and business,” the blond stated suddenly.

“Shouldn’t that be his line?” the darker haired male countered, only to receive a glare in response.

“No one asked your opinion,” the king retorted hotly.

“Well, if you did, I would advise that we don’t anger the only person we have seen since we arrived here. It might not end well for us and I would rather not get attack again, thank you.”

“You’re such a girl’s petticoat, Merlin,” the blond replied.

“Clotpole,” Merlin replied smartly.

“And what exactly is a clotpole?” the king asked, getting a little wound up.

“In two words?”

“Yes!”

“King Arthur,” Merlin replied with a grin.

“Your highness,” the elderly man said before Arthur could hit Merlin. “I think now is not the best time to argue with your servant.”

“Of course, Gaius,” the king agree, trying to scrape up what dignity he had left. He shot Merlin a look, who simple grinned in response. He turned back to David, who smiled and walked forward.

“Welcome to Storybrook,” David greeted. “My name’s David or Prince Charming. You can call me David. This is my old friend, Ruby or Red.”

“Call me Red,” she replied

Arthur looked attentive as he realized he was speaking with another royal being, even if his clothes were a little strange. “Hello, David, Red. I am King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot,” he greeted with a nod of his head. “This is my wife Guinevere,” he said as he took his wife’s hand and lead her to the front.

“She keeps his intelligence level up,” Merlin supplied with a grin, causing Arthur to glare and Guinevere to laugh.

“Please,” the queen replied with a curtsy. “Call me Gwen.”

David bowed in response, his years of noble training with Snow coming back to the surface of his mind. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gwen.”

She smiled. “The pleasure is mine.”

“This,” Arthur continued as he gestured to the elderly man, “is Gaius, our court Physician.”

Gaius bowed to David. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

David gave him a wave. “You don’t have to bow. I’m only a Prince by marriage. My wife is the Queen of our land.”

Arthur looked a little shocked and extremely pleased. “I’m glad to see that I am not the only on to marry outside of nobility. My wife was a handmaid before her brother became one of my knights, raising her status. I wouldn’t have cared either way, of course,” he supplied as he gazed at Gwen, who smiled back just as softly.

Merlin cleared his throat, bring Arthur back to the present. He shifted uncomfortably, as if he was worried about making himself seem soft in front of everyone. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“And this idiot,” Arthur supplies as he gestured to Merlin, “is my manservant Merlin. A right bubbling idiot.”

It was Merlin’s turn to glare at a grinning Arthur.

“You said you’re from Camelot,” Ruby asked, hoping to distract the arguing pair.

Arthur nodded. “We are not sure how we ended up here.”

“Sure we are,” Merlin countered. “It was your idea to chase after Morgana when she clearly was holding some type of swirling black orb. If you hadn’t, she wouldn’t have thrown it down and I am pretty sure we wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“You are such a nuisance, Merlin,” Arthur complained.

“Well, if I’m a nuisance, then you’re a dollophead,” Merlin countered.

Arthur stuttered for a moment. “What the—? What is a dollophead?”

“Shall we revisit our conversation on Clotpoles?” Merlin asked innocently.

David chuckled, clearly amused by the situation. Gwen rolled her eyes at the pair and turned to David.

“Is your wife in charge of this town? If so, could you please take us to her? We would really love a way to get back home.”

David smiled. “My wife isn’t the one in charge. Her stepmother is. But I’m pretty sure Regina would be willing to talk to you.” His phone suddenly rang, startling the group. David quickly looked at his phone as Emma’s name flashed across the screen. He gave them an apologetic look. “Just a moment. It’s my daughter.”

He quickly swiped the screen and answered the phone.

“Hey Emma,” he greeted quickly.

“Dad?”

David felt his blood run cold as he realized his daughter was crying. “Emma? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what happened,” he heard her sob. “A woman—she. . . I. . .”

David felt his heart hammering in his chest. His thought automatically jumped to Neal. He really hoped he didn’t lose control. He took a calming breath. “Emma. I need you to calm down. Where’s Neal?”

David faintly heard someone groaning in the background as his daughter took a few quick breaths.

“He’s here. I think he’s hurt. I-I don’t know what she did.”

“Who is ‘she’, Emma?” David asked, trying to remain calm.

“I don’t know. We were driving and saw her walking along the side of the road,” Emma explained as she her breath began to quicken. David heard her faintly whispering to someone, trying to calm them down. “We stopped and asked her if she was lost. The next thing I know, she’s walking around us like a vulture. I should have noticed earlier but ever since we meet her, Neal had been acting weird. She stopped in front of him and just stood there smirking.” Emma stopped for a moment to resume her faint, frantic whispering.

“What happened after that?” David asked, not noticing that the attention was centered on him.

Emma took another shaking breathe. “Neal just stopped moving for a moment. Before, I could feel him shaking a little but I thought it had to do with meeting a new person and just turning into the Dark One. He stopped moving completely. His eyes. . .” she trailed off for a moment. “His eyes were dead, Dad,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to ever see them like that again. It’s like some type of demon took over.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?” David asked, his voice shaking. Ruby immediately walked closer.

“I’ll go ahead of you and find her,” she whispered.

David nodded his thanks before she took off.

Emma seemed to be calming down a little. “I’m not hurt. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“I need you to tell me what happened next,” David said as he motioned for the group to follow him. “Red is on her way. What did Neal do?”

Emma made a chocking noise. “He started screaming. Oh, god, Dad,” she cried. “It sounded like he was dying. I don’t know what she did but it wasn’t want she was planning on. She looked startled when he started screaming.”

“Are she still there?” David asked, taking a moment to check for his gun.

“No. Neal teleported us away from her. We’re outside the hospital. Wait,” David heard Emma pause before there was some shuffling. “KILLIAN!” she yelled suddenly startling David.

David heard feet hitting the ground in quick precession. “Swan?! What are you— What the bloody hell happened?”

“I’ll tell you as soon as Dad gets here,” Emma replied.

David heard the phone exchange hands.

“David,” Red’s voice sounded through the phone. “I’m with Emma. Hook and the dwarves are here too. We’re going to try and get Neal inside.”

“Alright,” David replied as he broke into a run. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

David hung up quickly and looked back down at his phone, flipping through the contacts page. He could hear the newcomers behind them and cringed slightly when he remembered Gwen was wearing a dress. He found the number he was looking for and pressed send, mentally preparing himself for the conversation that was about to take place.

* * *

Merlin really didn’t know what to think about this new place. As he ran along the surprisingly smooth streets, he pushed his magic out, trying to get a sense of the area. He frowned. The magic in this place—this world, his magic quickly supplied—was screaming for a price, a payment. It was different from the Old Religion magic of their world. It seemed newer, almost dull and lackluster compared to the magic he had been born with. As his magic spread out across the town, he quickly picked up on a magic that caused him to stumble, nearly falling flat on his face as he ran. The magic that had just brushed his was tainted and burned. Something about the magic seemed dead but alive at the same time. Poisonous, death, decay all swirled around the blackness that his magic had brushed against. Merlin felt himself nearly lose his stomach at the feel of it against his own magic. It was as if, by touching it, he was trying to mix crystal clear water with a black sludgy oil that was trying to corrupt the water but couldn’t because the two really couldn’t mix.

“What did you trip over?” Arthur asked as he ran beside him, the two trying to catch up with Gwen, who was wearing a dress and still running fast then them.

“Oh, that? That was your ego. It’s so big, it nearly mad me fall flat on my face,” Merlin replied cheekily, gaining speed to get away from Arthur’s hit. He quickly caught up with David, who was once again on the strange, small black box.

“Gold,” Merlin heard him say. “We need you to get to the hospital. Something’s happened.”

David paused for a moment. “No, it’s not Zelena. We’ve got another, possibly bigger problem. Neal’s in the hospital.”

David paused again, this time flinching violently.

“I don’t know what’s wrong. Emma said the two were patrolling when they suddenly came across a strange woman.”

Merlin felt his blood run cold. His thoughts immediately went to Morgana.

“Emma didn’t say much. She was a little too hysterical to say anything,” David continued, apparently using the small box to contact someone. Merlin bit his lip. It must be some kind of strange magic.

“I don’t know what the woman did but it caused Neal to act strange. Emma said the woman stopped in front of him and he just froze. Next thing Emma knew, Neal started screaming before teleporting them away. Red and Hook were helping Emma take him into the hospital.”

David paused again, his face turning a little sour. “I know you don’t like Hook but he does care what happens to Neal. You didn’t see how torn up he was when we all thought Neal died.”

He paused again before sighing heavily. “Just get to the hospital. We’ll talk more about it as soon as we make sure Neal is alright.” David quickly pulled the object away from his ear and pushed something on the front of it.

“It that magic?” Arthur asked, eying the item intensely before sharing a look with Merlin.

David shook his head. “It’s called a phone. It’s science. No magic involved.”

“So magic doesn’t exist here?” Gwen asked, carrying her the skirt of her dress in her arms.

David laughed. “I didn’t say that.” He quickly turned to look at a tall, gray building that the group was heading to. “We’re here,” he commented as he gained speed.

Merlin sighed and followed the Prince. Something keep telling him things were about to get much worse than being stuck in this new strange world. And that something worse was definitely liked to the magic that nearly sent him to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the appearance of the cast of BBC’s Merlin. I wasn’t a big fan of the Camelot Arc of OUaT. The writers had one job, and that was to cast Bradley James and Collin Morgan as Arthur and Merlin and they completely failed.  
> As far as Merlin goes, the characters are all older than they were at the end of the original show. The ending battle actually happened but Arthur and Morgana didn’t die. Gwaine and Mordred are both still dead, sadly. I didn’t want to stray too far from the show but I had to have Arthur alive just because it’s Arthur and Morgana alive to create a center of conflict. As for their ages, the story takes place about six years after the end of Season 5:  
> Arthur: 36  
> Merlin: 32  
> Gwen: 35  
> Morgana: 37  
> Gaius: 84  
> The rest of the Camelot crew will eventually show up, just give it a little time.


	5. More Added Complications

To Have and To Hold

Chapter Five: More Added Complications

 

Emma ran next to the stretcher that was carrying Neal into the hospital. He was still groaning and withering in pain. There were no obvious injuries that Emma could find but she really didn’t want to push her luck. Even though he was the Dark One, Emma didn’t want to take another chance at losing him. She had already lost him three times before. No one was going to make it a fourth.

“I’m sorry,” one of the nurses said, grabbing ahold of Emma’s arm. “You’ll have to wait here.”

“Like hell I am,” Emma replied hotly, trying to push the nurse out of the way. She didn’t make it very far before a couple of other nurses pulled her back, stopping her from chasing after the stretcher. She quickly hit a couple of the guys in the shins and pushed the women out of the way before she felt someone grab her arm and pull her back again.

“Calm down, love,” Hook said as he steered her in the direction of the waiting room. “They’re just trying to see what is ailing him.”

Emma jerked her arm away from the pirate. “He needs me, Killian. I can’t just sit back and do nothing,” she counter, her eyes bright with tears.

“What can you do?” the pirate asked suddenly.

Emma opened her mouth and stopped. There wasn’t anything that she could think of that she could do to help him right now. She stared at the pirate, a question clear on her face.

“Look. Emma,” Captain Hook began as he put a hand on her arm. “I know I don’t have the best track record when it comes to getting between the two of you but this isn’t me trying to stop the two of you from coming together. I promised Baelfire that, before all the mess with Pan’s curse, I would back off so that the two of you could reconnect for your boy’s sake. I hold myself to that promise.” He stepped back a little, giving her some room. “I also know that the doctors cannot do much if you are hovering in the room. Let them do their job to help him get better.”

Emma’s anger deflated. She knew she was taking her anger out on the wrong person. “I’m sorry, Killian. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

Hook smiled. “It’s ok, love. You’re angry and worried. It’s only natural to lash out.” He paused for a moment, working his jaw. “I’m worried too.”

Emma’s shoulder slumped. She continued to forget that Killian had taken care of Neal—of Baelfire—before she had even known him. Emma reached out and gave him a pat on the back, not really knowing how to comfort him without it seeming inappropriate.

“What is going on?” Regina asked as she briskly walked down the hall, Henry right on her heels.

Emma groaned as she ease herself into a chair, holding her head in her hands.

“Mom?” Henry asked quietly. “Where’s Dad?”

Emma flinched before motioning Henry forward. As soon as he was in arms reach, Emma took his hands in hers and looked him directly in the eyes. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat.

“When your dad and I were out on patrol, we meet a woman that we have never seen before,” Emma said softly. Regina inhaled sharply. “I don’t know what she did but she somehow hurt him. The doctors are checking him out right now.”

Henry blinked back the tears that began to form. “Is he going to be alright?” he whispered brokenly.

The sight of her son in tears nearly had Emma in hysterics again. She pushed back the burning sensation in her throat. “I hope so. I really hope so,” she replied as she pulled Henry to her.

“Emma!” Whale yelled as he ran around the corner. “We need you in here. He’s freaking out!”

Emma turned to Regina, who nodded, the two mothers not even having to voice anything. She turned to her son.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to help your dad,” she said as she placed a kiss on his forehead. Emma ran through the doors, completely trusting Regina to care for Henry.

As soon as she got to the room, Emma could tell that things were escalating quickly. A few of the nurses were on the ground as two guys were trying—and failing—to keep Neal still. Emma didn’t hesitate to pull one of the guys out of the way and climb up onto the bed, pulling Neal’s head into her lap.

“Neal,” she began softly. “I need you to calm down. The doctors are just trying to help you.”

Neal didn’t reply as he wrapped his arms around Emma’s waist and buried his face in her stomach. Emma could feel his body trembling as his warm breath hit her stomach. He was breathing so fast that Emma began to worry about him hyperventilating. She calmly began to run her fingers though his hair and began to rub her hand up and down his back in a soothing manner, like how she used to do whenever he would wake up from a nightmare back in Portland. Like always, the technique worked like a charm. Neal’s breathing began to calm as the shaking began to subside. As soon as the shaking had stopped completely, Neal began to uncurl from the fetal position he had curled himself in, unknowingly wrapping his body around Emma protectively. 

Emma looked up and saw Whale quietly leading the nurses out of the room before he turned back to her.

“Do you think he will let me check him?” he asked softly, keeping next to the door in order to not startle the new Dark One.

Emma held up her hand. Whale wisely stayed back.

“Neal?” Emma whispered, brushing some of his hair back.

Neal hummed in response, seeming far more relaxed than he had before. 

“Can Whale check you? We want to see if that woman hurt you in any way.”

Emma felt more than heard Neal sigh. He turned himself slowly onto his back, his head still in her lap, his bloodshot eyes locking with Emma’s.

“She didn’t do anything,” Neal replied, his voice hoarse.

“WHERE IS MY SON?!”

Emma and Whale jumped while Neal simple looked over at the door leading to the hallway. Before long, the figure of Rumpelstiltskin hobbled in through the door, his face etched with worry and anger. Even though the man wasn’t the Dark One any more, people still couldn’t help their natural reaction of fearing said man. As soon as his eyes landed on his son, the anger disappeared and the worry took over completely. Belle and David trailed behind him with a group of people Emma had never seen before.

‘Great,’ she thought as she took the figures in. ‘Just what we needed. More new people.’

“Oh, son,” Gold whispered as he hobbled into the room, sitting in a chair on the left of the bed.

“Hey, Papa,” Neal replied before he cleared his throat, reaching his hand out to take his papa’s. “Didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“Dad!” Henry said as he ran into the room and quickly climbed up to lay on the bed with his parents. The twelve year old buried himself in his father’s arms and rested his head on Neal’s chest.

“Hey, buddy,” Neal replied softly. 

“Who are the new people?” Regina asked as she walked in, pushing Snow White in a wheelchair. In Snow’s arms was Emma’s new baby brother, fast asleep.  
Emma looked up, looking at the people again. David stepped forward.

“This is King Arthur of Camelot and his wife Guinevere, or Gwen for short,” David supplied as he motioned to the royally dressed couple. “This is Gaius, the Court Physician, and Merlin, Arthur’s servant,” he finished up as he gestured to the other two.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Snow greeted as she held a hand to Arthur. “I would curtsy but I have a baby in my hands. I hope you don’t mind settling for a hand shake.”

“Not at all,” Arthur replied as he took her hand and gently shook it, not wanting to startle the child in her arms.

“This is my wife, Snow White,” David supplied before gesturing to Regina. “And this is Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrook.”

Emma looked down at Neal, not really caring about the new people. Neal didn’t even hear them as his eyes were transfixed on Henry’s sleeping face. Emma chuckled. That kid could fall asleep almost anywhere. 

“Are you sure you don’t need Whale to check you?” Emma whispered, not wanting to wake Henry.

Neal nodded. “She didn’t do anything.”

Emma frowned. “Then why did you start screaming?”

Neal opened his mouth to reply before he suddenly shut it, his eyes darting across the room to land on the newcomer, Merlin. Emma noticed the man visibly flinch backwards. He sighed heavily.

“This isn’t going to go well,” he commented as he was Neal stared at each other.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin. “What are you talking about?”

Merlin just grinned. “I’m about to do something incredibly stupid.”

Arthur frowned. “Now is not a time to joke, Merlin.”

“Oh, I’m being completely serious. If you still skeptical, watch,” he said before quickly stepping into the room.

Emma blinked in confusion, trying to figure just what was so stupid about walking into a hospital room. That is, until she felt Neal tense up in her arms. She looked down and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. 

Neal looked absolutely murderous. His face looked as if it had been etched out of stone and his eyes. . . his eyes were a bright golden color, staring intensely as Merlin walked slowly towards the bed. Neal pulled the sleeping Henry closer to him and rapped an arm around Emma’s waist. Emma could hear a growl forming in the back of his throat, almost territorial in nature.

Merlin merely watched the whole thing with poorly veiled interest. “I wonder why he hasn’t lashed out yet,” he said aloud, slowly coming to a stop at the end of the bed. “I would have expected him to, given his nature.”

“Are you an idiot?” Regina hissed quietly. 

“Yea, actually,” Merlin replied, still staring Neal in the eyes. “I just said I was about to do something stupid.”

“Merlin,” Arthur said sternly. 

“Just a moment, sire,” Merlin replied.

“What do you hope to accomplish by putting him on edge?” Emma questioned, her temper raising.

Merlin’s eyes left Neal’s and that’s when all hell broke loose. As soon as Merlin looked at Emma, something inside Neal snapped, sending the newcomer flying across the room and through the glass door. The sound of shattering glass woke Henry from his sleep. Arthur quickly reached for his sword, pulling it from his sheath. But before he could even point the sword in Neal’s direction, the tip suddenly got weighted down by an unseen force, causing Arthur to stumble.

“Calm down, sire,” Merlin said as he walked back into the room, completely unscathed. “I told you I was about to do something stupid.”

“That wasn’t stupid!” Regina fumed. “That was suicidal!”

“Merlin,” Arthur stated sternly. “Would you like to explain what just happened?”

“Mom?” Henry whispered worriedly.

Neal tensed up even more, quickly picking up on his son’s worry. Emma shot Merlin a look. But the young man wasn’t paying her any attention. He was still staring at Neal, his head tilted slightly to the left, watching the Dark One with interest and confusion.

“Why did he attack Merlin?” Gwen asked, placing her hand on her husband’s arm.

Arthur remained quiet, still waiting on Merlin’s reply.

“He must have done something to spook him,” Hook commented, glaring at the servant as well.

“But he just simple walked up to the bed,” Gwen countered, instantly defending her friend. “Merlin didn’t do anything.”

“I did, actually,” Merlin said, still keeping his eyes on Neal’s still golden eyes. 

“Then what exactly did you do?” Gaius asked, deciding to join the conversation.

“I walked in the room,” he replied simple.

“Quit responding in riddles, Merlin,” Arthur spat, his temper slowly raising.

“I’m not speaking in riddles, sire. I’m telling you the truth. As soon as I walked in the room, I threatened him,” Merlin replied simply. He went quiet for a moment. 

“I’m going to fix the window,” he said slowly, speaking directly to Neal. “I’m not going to touch either of them. Ok?”

Neal didn’t respond. He simple watched as Merlin slowly raised his right arm, placing it behind his body. With a twist of his fingers and a flash of gold eyes, the broken window panel righted itself. Emma felt Neal’s arm tighten around her waist a little but not enough to be painful. Henry quickly wrapped his arms around his father, causing Neal to relax just a little bit.

“What the hell was that?” Regina asked, feeling the shift of magic in the air.

“Magic,” Arthur replied simple, watching his servant with interest. 

From the shocked look on Gwen’s face, Emma knew instantly that the Queen of Camelot had no idea that her friend had magic. The lack of shock on Arthur’s face told her he had.

“I know that was magic,” Regina replied heatedly. “What kind of magic? I have never felt anything like it.”

“It’s the Old Religion,” Merlin explained calmly.

Emma frowned, lost at what the servant was talking about. She hadn’t been aware there was a different type of magic. But judging from Regina, Gold, and Belle’s shocked faces, they had.

“I thought it was a myth,” Belle said as she walked next to her True Love.

“It’s very much a real thing,” Gaius piped up. “It is specific to Camelot but the knowledge of its powers have reached other world.”

“What’s so different about it?” Emma asked, Neal tensing again as she spoke to Merlin. She quickly began to card a hand through his hair again, trying to get him to calm down. This time around, it wasn’t working as well as she had hoped.

“It has no price,” Merlin explained. “It is also closely linked with the world around you, drawing from the energies of all living things and nonliving things.”

“Is that why Neal attacked you?” Snow asked, rocking the crying newborn, who had been woken up by the shattering of glass.

Merlin pressed his lips, his gaze never leaving Neal’s. “No. He attacked me because his nature compels him to kill me.”

The whole room went quiet, leaving a deafening silence. Emma stared at the blue-eyed man, dread coating her stomach in a thick layer. She swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat. Neal tightened his arm around her waist, sensing her distress as her hand stopped moving. His other arm pulled Henry closer to him, Henry’s own arms wrapping around him even more.

“Start talking,” Regina whispered quietly. “And while you are at it, who was that woman that put Neal in the state he was in earlier?”  
Merlin ignored her. He inclined his head a little, making sure to keep eye contact with the Dark One. “Is there anything you can do to calm him down?” he asked, directing his question at Emma. 

“I’m trying,” she said, her voice slightly strangled from the lump in her throat. “You are really not making it easy.”

“I have a sedative we can give him,” Whale said slowly as he held up a syringe. “I was going to use it earlier to calm him down but you got that under control fast.”  
Emma set her jaw. “Is there anything else besides knocking him out?”

Merlin frowned. “I can try to cloak my magic. It could be what he is reacting to.” 

Emma saw his face set in determination before a strange rippling of magic flooded the air. Neal tensed again, a growl in the back of his throat as the magic rushed past him, Emma, and Henry. For one tense moment, Emma thought he was going to send Merlin through the newly repaired glass again. Neal’s eyes flashed a brighter gold and he literally held his breath, waiting for some form of attack to occur. That moment slowly passed and Neal began to relax. His tight grip on Emma and Henry became lax as his head fell into Emma’s lap, his eyes closing with exhaustion. Emma quickly moved his arm from around her waist, drawing her legs up to where they supported Neal’s head. Henry untangled himself and stared worriedly at his dad.

“Neal?” Emma whispered, brushing his hair back gently, her fingers running across his sweat covered forehead.

Neal groaned, shutting his eyes tight before opening them. Emma nearly sobbed in relief as his warm brown eyes meet her green ones. “What the hell?” he slurred, his voice groggy and muffled.

“How is he?” Merlin asked, suddenly standing next to the bed.

Emma jumped in surprise, wondering when he had gotten so close. Neal’s eyes snapped back open and looked over at the young man. Emma braced herself, waiting for the strange spell to come back over Neal and for his eyes to turn a molten gold again. It surprised her, however, when he just simply looked at Merlin then looked up at her.

“Who is this?” he asked, jerking his thumb in the magic-users direction.

Emma sighed in relief, slumping back against the headboard of the hospital bed. She could practically hear the rest of the room sighing as well.

Neal simply frowned. “What? You act like I tried to kill him or something.”

Emma flinched. “That’s because you did.”

Neal blanched, his face turning white. “What?” he stuttered, sitting up suddenly. “Why?”

“That’s what I would like to know,” Emma responded, looking back at Merlin with a glare.

Merlin sighed and quickly sat down in an available chair, steeping his fingers together and letting them rest under his chin. He was quiet for a moment, deep in   
thought, before he looked the room. 

“How much do any of you know about the beginnings of the Dark One?” He turned to Neal. “I am correct in assuming you are the Dark One, yes?”

Neal nodded, his face blank of any reaction.

“Only rumors,” Rumpelstiltskin replied to Merlin’s first question.

Merlin nodded. He looked back around the room. “Everyone might want to take a seat. This could take a while. I would conjure some chairs but I can’t use magic without breaking the cloaking sleep. If I do that…” He left the sentence hanging, glancing back over at Neal.

Emma sighed, knowing that this was probably going to take a while. Henry shifted, sitting at the foot of the bed. Neal pulled Emma forward and moved himself behind her, leaning up against the pillows and front of the bed. Emma leaned back with another sigh, this one of relief, taking pressure off of her back that she didn’t even realize was there. The rest of the occupants brought in chairs from the waiting room. Emma was really glad that the room they had decided to put Neal in was bigger than the rest of the rooms. She settled herself down for what she knew was going to be a long conversation.

“Start talking,” Emma said as everyone got comfortable. “What does the Dark One’s beginnings have to do with Neal attacking you, who was that woman in the forest, and what happened to make him lose control?” Emma hissed the last part, causing Merlin to flinch.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” he comment.

“Unless you start talking, you’re going to be Person Number One,” she snapped back. She felt Neal wrap his arms around her middle, one of his hands lacing his fingers with hers.

“Damn, you’re scary,” Merlin muttered to himself. “I hope you don’t mind me answering your questions out of order, starting with the easiest one: the woman in the forest.”

“Who is she?” Rumpelstiltskin asked as he wrapped his finger around the top of his cane.

“Her name is Morgana,” Arthur supplied. “She’s my half-sister.”

Emma looked up at Neal when she felt him tense again. He was looking at Arthur, a frown and a look of confusion on his face.

“She is also the High Priestess of the Old Religion,” Merlin continued.

“What does that mean?” Regina asked. “Our magic doesn’t have a High Priestess. The only thing that comes close it the Dark One,” she finished as she gesture to Neal.

Merlin smirked, as if Regina had just told a hilarious joke. “A High Priestess is someone that controls and enormous amount of Old Religion magic. As such, Morgana is definitely not someone you want to mess with, especially with your magic.”

Regina bristled. “Are you calling our magic weak?”

“Compared to ours?” Merlin asked. “Yes, I am. Your magic hinders itself by continuously asking for a price and a payment in order to use it. Our magic doesn’t have that.”

Neal felt himself freeze as the words of the other man washed over him. Emma gently rubbed her thumb in a circle on the back of his hand, looking up at him with concern. He smiled down at her and shook his head, trying to convey that he was fine. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, causing Emma to frown even more.  
Regina bristled again but refrained from saying anything. Merlin took it as a sign to continue. He looked over at Neal.

“What exactly happened with Morgana? What did she do?”

Neal flinched, remembering the pull of his magic and sanity as he got in close proximity with the woman. “She didn’t do anything,” Neal said for the third time. 

“Something about the Darkness was drawn to her. Normally, I can keep it back well enough but, being around her, it was like a moth flying around a flame.” Neal swallowed, his arms tightening around Emma waist, using the warmth of her body to anchor him in reality.

“Shit,” Merlin swore quietly. “What happened next?”

Neal frowned. “I fought it. The instinct. The Darkness kept trying to drag me under. The closer she got, the harder it was to keep fighting.” He went quiet for one long, tense moment. “The Darkness finally took over though.”

Merlin frowned. “Was that all you remember?”

“For a moment, yes. Then I remember something bringing me back to the surface. A light began to filter in, brushing passed the Darkness. I somehow managed to push myself to the surface.” Neal swallowed the lump in his throat. “Then all I remember is pain.”

Neal felt Emma flinch, her thoughts drifting back to the memory of Neal’s horrifying scream. Neal glanced over at his papa, who looked stuck between wanting to hit something and crying. Neal bit his lip hard, tasting blood.

Merlin leaned forward slightly. “I know why you reached badly to her and why it hurt when you pushed against the instinct running through you.”

“Care to enlighten us?” Rumpelstiltskin snapped. Belle frowned and placed a hand on his forearm, calming him down enough to rein in his temper.

Merlin just gave him an amused look. “And while I am at it, I’ll answer your last two questions in one go. Everyone might want to get comfortable. This could take a while,” he said leaning back. “Now, what rumors do you know about the origins of the Dark One?”

HIS NAME…MERLIN! (imagine the last part being yelled by Arthur)

Morgana leisurely walked through the forest of this new and strange world. She smiled, her lips curling into a smirk as she picked up on the trial of someone else’s magic. She nearly laughed when she got a feel of it. It was so much weaker than hers, wrapping itself around its owner, twisting and turning, demanding for a payment that the caster refused to pay. It was torn, tattered, and reeked of jealousy. Morgana held her head high and continued her graceful march, heading directly for the magic. 

The High Priestess walked out of the woods, into a small hilled clearing with a white building situated in the middle of it. Morgana tilted her head to the side, studying the small area. She sighed heavily. It would have to do for now.

“Who the hell are you?”

Morgana turned and saw a pale woman standing a little away from her. She was wearing a black dress that ended at her knees, a short black cloak, and some strange sheer fabric around her legs. A small black hat was perched atop a mess of red curls as dull, hate-filled green eyes glared at her. Morgana simple raised an eyebrow, immediately picking up on the weak, withered magic that swirled around the woman. She smirked in response, not even bothering to answer.

The woman went red in the face, clearly not pleased at being ignored. “I asked you a question and you will answer me when I am talking!” she shrieked, waving her hand and sending a wave of magic directly for Morgana.

The High Priestess simply raised her hand, dispelling the weak excuse of a spell without a thought. A shocked looked passed across the other woman’s face before she found herself in midair, gasping as an invisible force held her by her throat.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Morgan said, hand still in the air as she walked leisurely towards the other woman. “And it wasn’t very bright.” She calmly dropped her hand, letting the other woman hit the ground hard.

She gasped for air, both from being choked and having what breathe she had in her lungs getting knocked out of her as she impacted the ground. She laid there for a moment before she scrambled to her feet, her hand holding her bruised throat.

“Who are you?” she asked again, much softer this time.

“That’s better,” Morgana replied with a smile. “I am the Lady Morgana, future Queen of Camelot. And you are going to help me get what I want.”

The woman frowned. “What’s in it for me?”

Morgana smiled, knowing she had the woman wrapped around her finger. “Let’s go inside, shall we? I fancy a spot of tea.” 

The woman nodded and quickly led Morgan up the small set of stairs and into the building.

“Please have a seat,” she said as she gestured to the chair.

Morgana gracefully lowered herself, sitting like a Queen on her throne. “What is your name?”

“Zelena, ma’am,” the Wicked Witch responded quickly, conjuring a fresh pot of tea. Zelena didn’t want to get on this woman’s bad side again.

“Zelena,” Morgan said, testing the name. “I have a proposition for you Zelena. You help me get what I want and then I will help you get what you want.” She smiled cunningly. “What is it you want exactly?”

“To go back in time,” Zelena answered honestly. “Go back and stop my mother from abandoning me.”

Morgana nodded. “I can help you with that. My magic is different from yours.” She stopped suddenly. “There is also someone I wish to find in the past as well,” she commented, her eyes turning soft for a moment. She quickly shook her head, composing her features into a cool mask.

“What is it that you want?” Zelena asked hotly, flinching when she received a glare from Morgana. “My lady?” she added, worried she’d get attacked again and quickly handed Morgana a cup of tea.

“My brother has taken my rightful place on the throne of Camelot,” she explained as she took a sip of the tea, wrinkling her nose at the watery taste. She quickly sat the cup down. 

“With all due respects, how do you hope to accomplish that?” Zelena asked cautiously.

Morgana smiled, baring her white teeth in an almost threatening manner. “With my pet, of course.”

“Your pet?” Zelena question, leaning back. “What is your ‘pet’?”

“Not what. Who,” Morgana corrected calmly. “I believe you know him as the Dark One?”

“Of course,” Zelena replied, her mouth slightly open. “How do you hope to get his dagger?”

Morgan smiled. “I have my ways.” Her smile dropped and she clenched her hand into a fist. “I have a little problem to take care of first.”

Zelena frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I almost had him earlier but the little blonde pest beside him brought his consciousness back to the surface. I need to be rid of her or she will hinder my efforts.”

“Oh, her,” Zelena smiled. “I know all about little Ms. Emma Swan,” she snared, her lip curling over her top lip.

Morgana raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter in length, compared to the last one but I felt this was a good stopping point. The next part of the events had a long conversation that I believe will work better in the next chapter. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 were all originally one chapter together but due to the in-depth conversations and need-to-be-detailed events, I felt like I should break it up into different chapters. If not, that one chapter would have been over 15,000 words and still continuing into the next chapter. I hope everyone isn’t too disappointed.


	6. More Troubles Arise

To Have and To Hold  
Chapter Six: More Troubles Arise

Merlin listened as the group began to tell what they knew: from the story of the rage filled queen to the tale of the broken hearted parent. He raised an amused eyebrow and let out a low whistle when the group was done.

“Those are some really interesting rumors,” he supplied glancing at Arthur, who was sitting to his left. “None of them close to the truth, however.”

“Then how did the first Dark One come about?” Emma asked quietly, feeling Neal’s hand tighten in hers. “And how are you even sure what you have heard isn’t a rumor or made up tale?”

Merlin smiled. “I know for a fact that what I am about to say is true because the Dark One isn’t from the Enchanted Forest.” He paused for a moment, looking around the room. “The Darkness originally came from Camelot.”

The room fell into a stunning silence, each person staring at the warlock intensely. He simply smiled in response.

“Let me start from the beginning. Have you ever heard of the Druids?”

“Only in myths,” Regina supplied.

“They are very real,” Merlin said. “There is a Druid prophecy that has been circulating for a very long time, probably a couple of millennia. In this prophecy, the Druids speak of a being called Emrys who will bring magic back to the land. To the Druids, Emrys is considered to be a god-like figure, who is the embodiment of magic. A long time ago, a High Priestess became obsessed with the idea that Emrys was going to come after her and kill her. She began to plot and scheme, bringing together all of the darkness that she could and housing it in a Vault, locking it away with a special key until the time came that she would need it,” Merlin relayed, aware that all eyes were on him. 

“Unfortunately,” he continued, “the Darkness began to push against her, fighting its cage and trying to break free from the Vault. It got loose, nearly killing the High Priestess in the process. She managed to tether the Darkness to a person; a man from her past that she couldn’t stand the idea of being without.”

“In doing so, she created the first Dark One,” Regina said, crossing her arms as she shifted in her seat.

Merlin smiled. “She did more than just that. Since the Darkness had already rebelled against her before, she searched for a way to keep it from happening again. She tethered the Darkness to her magic, to the magic of all High Priestesses. In doing so, the Dark One became a being of her control, never once being able to resist the pull of her magic as it was a part of its own.”

Neal froze, remembering the pull that washed over him as he and Emma first laid eyes on the woman in the forest, this Morgana. He remembered the feeling of the Darkness trying to drown him, pushing and pushing until he almost gave in.

“She said something about the process restarting,” Emma said, snapping Neal out of his own dark thoughts.

Merlin hummed. “I’m not really sure what she meant with that. Originally, the Dark One was a being of Old Religion magic. As time when on, the High Priestess lost control of the Dark One when the dagger used to control them exchanged hands. After a while, the Dark One managed to disappear from our land, somehow ending up in the Enchanted Forest. As different Dark Ones took over and the dagger exchanged more hands, the magic of the Darkness changed, adapting to the magic around it.” He paused and looked at Neal. “How does the magic of the Darkness feel? I would ask if it feels any different from before but seeing as you wouldn’t know that—“ 

“It does feel different,” Neal said, cutting him off. Merlin frowned in confusion. Neal gestured to his father. “Papa here was the Dark One before me.” Gaius, who had been sitting quiet suddenly frowned in thought. “We shared a body for a little bit and I could feel the Darkness surrounding his soul. It’s different then it was before. There is no sense of a price.”

Merlin frowned even more. “How is that possible? The Darkness only ever exchanges hands if the previous Dark One is stabbed with their dagger, killing them.” He paused for a moment before looking at Neal. “How did you become the Dark One?”

Neal opened his mouth to say he didn’t know but words tumbled out before he could even think about them. “I opened the Vault.”

Merlin paled dramatically. He swore and quickly crossed his arms. He looked Neal directly in the eyes. “Why?”

“I wanted my family back. Papa had sacrificed himself for us and I needed to get him back.”

“Neal nearly died,” Emma continued, looking back at him. “We thought he was dead before a couple of days ago. A book Belle has said that the person that opens the Vault to resurrect the pervious Dark One pays the price of their life.”

Merlin rocked back and forth in his seat. “Something isn’t adding up. ‘The process has restarted’,” he repeated quietly. “Normally, the Vault does take the person’s life in exchange for the previous Dark One being returned but why would it suddenly revert back to the Old Religion magic?”

“This is very troublesome if Merlin doesn’t know the answer,” Arthur states, looking worried.

“He isn’t that old,” Regina said. “Maybe a little older than Emma but how could he possibly know enough to make it trouble you when he doesn’t know something?”

“He’s Emrys,” Arthur supplied, stunning the group. 

Emma felt Neal tense up again and quickly turned to look at him. His eyes flashed gold for a moment before he closed his eyes, inhaling sharply through his nose. Emma quickly maneuvered herself around to where she was sitting next to him, running a hand across his back. She placed a kiss on his temple as she ran her hand though his hair. Merlin suddenly looked up, startled.

“Oh,” he breathed. “I see now.” 

Emma looked at him questionably. He simple shook his head, a smile on his lips.

“You’re…” Regina said trailing off, completely stunned.

“Don’t say that name,” Neal hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes shut tight. 

Emma looked at him, worry clear on her face. Henry scrambled across the bed, placing himself in his Dad’s lap and hugged him around the middle. Neal seemed to relax a little, enough to open his eyes and calm his breathing.

“Noted,” Arthur replied, noticing the way his eyes were flashing gold. “We won’t speak of it again.”

“Is that why he attacked you?” Belle asked, watching the young man she considered family with caring eyes.

Merlin hummed again. “Technically, he should have attacked me the moment he laid eyes on me.”

Emma frowned. “But he didn’t. He didn’t attack until you got close to him.”

“Not quite,” Merlin countered. “He didn’t attack until I looked at you.”

Emma blinked. “Huh?”

“Theoretically, he should have attacked me the instance he felt my presence near him because it is in his nature as the Dark One to kill…me.” He winced, almost letting his Druid name slip. “However, instead of doing so, he sense a threat and automatically began to protect the two people that are the closest to him.”

“Henry and Emma,” Rumpelstiltskin breathe, remembering how tense his son had been as he wrapped a protecting arm around his son and his son’s mother.

“Normally, the Dark One doesn’t have anyone to protect, other than itself. By design, the Darkness destroys all types of love, eating away at it and turning it to hate.”

Rumple frowned. “It didn’t do that with me. I still fell in love with Belle.”

“That’s because, when you were the Dark One, the Darkness had already distorted. With Neal here,” he said as he gestured to the man, “the Darkness is back in its original form. At first, I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t attack. I thought it strange that he was trying to protect two people instead of doing what his very nature should have been telling him to do. That is until just a moment ago,” he concluded, looking at Emma.

“True Love,” Snow supplied, looking hopeful.

Merlin nodded. “True Love is the most pure of magicks. Its power is known throughout the different realms. Normally, the Dark One wouldn’t be able to have a True Love, let alone find someone to care for. This case is different. Since he and Emma became True Loves before he was the Dark One, that magic carried even when the Darkness took over.

“There is another thing,” he said, steeping his fingers together. “True Love stims from a very old version of Light Magic, one of the most powerful and organic parts of the Old Religion. Before the High Priestesses turned dark, they were the ones who watched over Light Magic and those who were affiliated with it. The very first High Priestesses were beings of Light Magic themselves.” He looked to Emma. “And you possess a high amount of that magic. Why is that?”

“She’s a product of True Love,” Rumpelstiltskin supplied. “Her parents,” he gestured to Snow and David, “are True Loves and she is the result of that love.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Do you realize how rare that is? While it is rare to have a True Love, it is even rarer for a child to be brought out of the connection.”

Regina frowned. “Why is that?”

“Because it is Old Religion magic. Those who study the Old Religion are powerful in and of themselves. But those who are born of it, they are another category of their own.” Merlin paused for a moment. “I am just going off of what I have read in the past from books by the Druids but, according to them, it is almost impossible for a child to be born of True Love. That isn’t to say, however,” he said quickly, noticing the looks on everyone’s faces, “that people who are True Loves can’t have a child or two.” He gestured to Emma and her new baby brother. 

“I don’t believe I am following,” Regina said as she crossed her arms. 

Merlin huffed. “Not every child born to a couple who are True Loves is considered to be a product of True Love, which is basically an embodiment of Light Magic. The reason it is so rare is because the magic of the child has a very high chance of killing the mother.” 

Snow inhaled sharply, her hand automatically grabbing Charming’s in a death grip.

Merlin looked apologetic. “I’m not trying to scare you. I assume that you had a hard pregnancy with Emma?” Snow nodded quickly. “That has to do with her magic. Light Magic is really hard to contain, especially in a child. My own mother almost miscarried multiple times while she was pregnant with me. Since Emma is already born, you can’t have another child born of True Love. You aren’t at risk.”

The two automatically looked relieved and Emma honestly couldn’t blame them. She stopped for a moment. “But Henry is also a child of True Love. I didn’t have a hard pregnancy with him.”

Merlin grinned. “That’s because you already possess Light Magic. It was already in your blood, your soul. Henry’s magic, which he definitely has,” he added, smirking, “is also made up of the same light magic. Since you were already born of it, the magic isn’t something foreign to you. It wouldn’t be a risk for you.” 

He looked Neal dead in the eyes, changing subject suddenly. “Emma is what kept you from completely going under Morgana’s control. She is also what keep you from trying to kill me on sight,” he said nodding to Emma.

Neal remained silent, looking away from Merlin’s gaze. His arms tightened around his son, holding him close.

“As long as Emma is around then, he can fight it,” Hook said, sounding relieved.

“Shouldn’t you be sobbing in a corner?” Rumpelstiltskin all but snared. “We basically just confirmed that my son and Ms. Swan are meant to be together, which puts you out the back door.”

Belle slapped her True Love’s shoulder. “Rumple!” scolded.

Hook simply glared in the former Dark One’s direction. “I think you seem to forget that I care about the lad’s well-being more than I care about some little feud we had going on. Besides,” he said, looking over at the man he could have considered to be a son if he hadn’t thrown the chance away, “I back out of that race a long time ago.”

“As dandy as this is,” Merlin piped in, “I don’t think fighting this is the best option.”

“Why not?” David asked. “If he can fight the Darkness off, shouldn’t he do just that?”

“If he wants to die, sure, by all means,” Merlin replied sarcastically. “You saw what happened when he tried to fight Morgana’s presence. What do you think will happen if he fights a direct order?”

“You can fight her back, can’t you?” Red asked. “That way she doesn’t give a command.”

“Besides, she needs his dagger,” Regina added.

Merlin shook his head. “She can command him, even without the dagger. With the dagger, there is no chance of him fighting back. Also,” he said, leaning back into his chair, “I can’t use my magic while I have the block up. As soon as I even cast a simple spell, the block breaks and the Darkness will sense my magic.” He looked over to Neal. “It will attack again and Emma might not be around to stop it.”

“If she can,” Gaius added calmly. “It will become harder as time goes on to get rid of the Darkness.”

“What about True Love’s Kiss?” Belle asked hopeful. “It almost worked before.” She gave Rumpelstiltskin’s hand a firm squeeze.

“Maybe on the weakened version of the Dark One, not on this regenerated original version of the Darkness,” Merlin said. “It will take more than True Love’s Kiss or an act of True Love.”

“But True Love’s Kiss can break any curse,” Snow counter quickly.

“Exactly,” Merlin said, pointing in her direction. “It breaks curses. The Darkness isn’t a curse any more. It’s an entity, a magic that was created through very old and powerful Old Religion magic by one of the older High Priestesses. When it weakened and moved to your world, it changed from an entity to a curse, allowing it to disappear from your world completely.”

“Then how do we fight it?” Regina snapped, getting thoroughly pissed off.

“I don’t know,” Merlin answered honest. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at the confused face. “Don’t look at me like that. I may be that person but it doesn’t mean I automatically know everything. I’m not hundreds of years old. I’m only thirty-two.”

“Can’t you just teach me your magic? That way I can fight against this Morgana if she shows up while you are around Neal” Regina said, crossing her legs. 

Merlin shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“And why not?” Regina snapped. “I am more than capable of learning, thank you very much.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I’m not insulting your ability to learn, Regina. I can’t teach you because you can’t learn it. It is too different from the magic you already use. It will clash violently and probably even tear you apart. It’s like trying to mix fire and oil and hoping it doesn’t explode.”

“Then what do we do?” Emma asked, her voice wavering as Regina sat back in her seat with a huff. “We can’t just sit back and do nothing until this Morgana tries to show up again. I can’t keep…” she trailed off. “I can’t keep losing him,” she whispered, her head bowed and her eyes stinging with tears.

Neal wrapped her in his arms. “You won’t lose me,” he whispered as she buried her face in his chest. “I swear to God, Emma, I am not leaving. Not again.” He swallowed suddenly, unable to continue, his throat and chest tightening. 

“We aren’t just going to sit back and do nothing,” Merlin replied softly. “Our first order of business is figure out how the Darkness suddenly regressed. That may be our key to finding a way to get rid of it.”

“So, there is nothing you can think of?” Rumple asked, his tone stern, a sign that he was worried and about to lash out.

“The only way that I currently know of is for Morgana to pull the Darkness out of him. And I don’t see her complying to any of our requests anytime soon.”

“Damn it,” Regina hissed. “Ok. So the best thing we can do is keep Neal as far away from her as possible, right?”

Merlin nodded. “But we run into the problem of where he will go. Morgana can sense him anywhere he is.”

“And you can’t use your magic to stop her either if Neal is in the direct vicinity,” Arthur said calmly.

“Can I just ask something?” Gwen said suddenly before turning to her husband and his servant. “How long have you had magic?” she asked as she pointed to Merlin then pointed at her husband. “And how long have you known?”

Merlin grinned sheepishly. “I was born with it. Arthur only found out after the Battle of Camlann, when I had to save his arse again.”

“And what a shock it will be when the knights find out that the old man that bet them up was actually you,” Arthur smiled before frowning. “Speaking of which, who all actually came over with us?”

Merlin shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Can we continue this conversation tomorrow?” Whale asked suddenly. “Neal is still technically my patient and I would like to check him over and let him get some rest. It is getting rather late,” he said while looking at the clock, which read 10:58 pm.

“Of course,” Merlin said as he stood from his chair. “Besides, I don’t know how much longer I can hold the cloaking spell up.”

Emma frowned. “The Darkness won’t attack you as soon as you let it down, will it?”

Merlin shook his head. “It only does so if I am in the immediate vicinity. As soon as I am far enough away, I will drop it.” He looked over at Neal. “He’ll be fine.”

Emma released the breath she was holding. She looked up at Neal and gave him a small smile, which he managed to return hesitantly. 

“Does anyone know a place we can stay?” Gwen asked as Arthur helped her out of her chair.

“I’ll show you the way to Granny’s,” Regina offered before turning to Henry. “Come on, Henry. It is past your bedtime.”

The twelve year old groaned. “But I want to stay with Dad,” he whined.

“Henry,” Neal said sternly, causing his son to look over at him. “Listen to your mother. I’ll be here in the morning.”

Merlin frowned. “Isn’t he your son?” he asked, pointing to Emma.

Emma snorted. “Yea. I’m his birth mother. Regina is his adopted mother.”

“Don’t even get us started on a family tree,” Regina added, rolling her eyes. “It gets way too complicated, way too fast.” 

“Merlin,” Emma said suddenly, sitting up. “You said that True Love is a form of Old Religion, right?”

Merlin nodded.

“And since I am a product of True Love, I possess Light Magic, right?”

He gave another nodded, brows scrunched together, not really sure where the conversation was going.

“Then shouldn’t you be able to teach me Old Religion magic? I already have it running through me. It shouldn’t be too hard,” Emma finished looking hopeful.

“Oh. Oh!” He smacked his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”

“So we do have a fighting chance,” Snow breathed in relief.

Neal groaned and slide down further in the bed, holding his head with his head. “Could we possibly hold this conversation tomorrow? You know, before that cloaking spell of yours drops?”

Merlin paled a little, not realizing his grip on the spell was slipping. Even though he had been using magic for a while, it was still hard to keep a power spell like that up for a long period of time. Regina put a calming hand on his arm. “I’ll teleport us out of here. It will be faster.”

Henry gave his parents a quick hug before scrambling to stand next to his mother. Regina waved her hand and the group disappeared with a cloud of purple smoke. As soon as Merlin was out of range, the pained look disappeared from Neal’s face.

“You moron,” Emma breathed. “You know what he said would happen if you continued to fight it.”

“Yea, let me just let my guard down and attack the warlock, potentially hurting others in the process. That’s a great idea,” Neal snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm and frustration.

Emma raised an eyebrow, looking down at him. Somehow, his head was in her lap again and her hands were threading through his hair. Neal sighed heavily.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

Emma just waved him off. “You’re exhausted, worried, and hurt. I think you are entitled to be a little snappy.”

Neal shook his head. “Maybe but not with you. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. You were just worried and I let my anger get the best of me.”

“I disagree. But,” she said as he opened his mouth to argue, “we’ll argue about this in the morning. Right now, Whale needs to check on you to see if there is any damage from you fighting off the Darkness and Morgana’s pull.”

Neal frowned suddenly, his eyebrows drawing together. 

“What?” Emma asked quietly. “You have your ‘I’m trying to figure something out’ face on.”

Neal was quiet for a moment. He turned to look at his Papa. “We’ve never been to Camelot before, right?”

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. “It’s in a different realm and we never traveled to other realms before…” He trailed of, looking ashamed. 

Neal reached out and took his Papa’s hand. “It’s ok,” he whispered. “I forgive you. You know that.”

“It doesn’t make hurt any less,” the former Dark One supplied, holding onto his son’s hand like a lifeline.

“Why did you ask about Camelot?” Hook questioned as he leaned up against the wall.

Neal coughed, wincing as the air hit his dry, aching throat. “That woman…Her name just sounds familiar, like I should know it from somewhere. She seemed familiar.” Neal’s face suddenly softened, as if he was thinking on a fond memory.

Emma bit her lip as she felt something foreign bubbling up in her chest. She really couldn’t place the feeling but she knew it wasn’t something she wanted to feel. Then, with a lightning revelation, it hit her: she was jealous, jealous of Neal thinking of another woman. She frowned, her thought going to figuring out what her feelings were for Henry’s father. 

“But you’ve never been to Camelot before,” Belle said calmly. 

Neal shook his head, looking over curiously at Whale, who was checking the machines they had hooked him up to when he first arrived. That had been before his freak out when he couldn’t find Emma. “I know I’ve never been there before, especially after landing in Victorian London when I first arrived to the Land Without Magic. Not even seven months after that, I splashed into Neverland.”

“Splashed?” Whale parroted, surprised. “You swam to Neverland?”

Neal gave a shaky laugh. “No. Pan’s shadow was carrying me through the air. I managed to get it to drop me. I landed in the water, near Killian’s ship.”

“He would have drowned if he landed anywhere else,” Hook supplied, lost in memory. “The impact of the water knocked him unconscious. My crew fished him out of the water and he regained consciousness as they were pulling him up.”

The group went quiet for a moment as Whale began to check Neal’s vitals. Emma stayed as still as possible, not wanting to mess anything up just be moving.

“I can’t find in abnormities. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary,” Whale said finally as he stepped back. He looked at the group. “I hate to bring this up but visiting hours are technically over and the most I can do is let one person stay in the room with him. Sorry,” he added sheepishly, looking at the four people in the room.

“It’s alright,” Hook replied. “I was just about to leave. Just wanted to make sure the lad was alright.” The pirate nodded at the couple sitting in the chairs before looking at Emma. “Swan,” he said giving her a nod before looking at Neal. “I expect you to be better by the morning. I don’t want to hear about any late night…what do they call it…partying,” he smiled, his eyes teasing.

Neal barked a laugh. “Sorry. No parties for me, thanks. That’s your area of expertise.” 

Hook nodded and quickly made his way out of the room. Charming walked over and placed a kiss on Emma’s head. Snow reached out and gave her daughter’s hand a squeeze. “I have to get back to my room. I’ll see you both in the morning.” She looked at Neal and smiled kindly. “Thank you. If you hadn’t stepped in earlier, Zelena would have taken my son from me.”

Neal smiled. “It’s the least I could do. After all, I’m the reason you were separated from Emma in the first place,” he trailed off, one of his worst demons rearing its ugly, vile head. “If I hadn’t listened to Blue and opened that damn portal, Emma would have grown up with her parents, having the normal life she should have had.” He looked at the wall, refusing to meet Emma’s worried gaze or to see the pained look that his father had on his face.

Snow frowned, an expression that was very oddly placed on her face. “I don’t place the blame of coming to the land on you. Nor your father,” she said as she looked at Henry’s other grandfather. She turned back to Neal, a smile still on her face as she gently reached out and took his hand. “As strange as it sounds, I probably would never have met David if your father hadn’t gone looking for you. Emma wouldn’t have been born and we would have never had the chance to meet Henry.”

Neal swallowed, his throat burning as he fought back tears. He had always blamed himself for everything wrong that had happened to Emma and her family. He hadn’t thought about the actual real outcome of him never using the bean that the Blue Fairy had given him. He held on to Snow White’s hand for a moment, looking her dead in the eye, her honesty and gratitude reflecting in them as plain as day. He nodded his head, unable to utter a word as his emotions ran high. He had never expected Emma’s parents to forgive him for being the reason the Curse was cast in the first place. Nor had he expected to see the looks of approval he received from Emma’s father, especially not after he had abandoned her, leaving her pregnant and lone.

“Thank you,” he whispered finally, a weight seeming to lift of his shoulders as the Charmings smiled at him.

The couple with their new born gave their daughter one last peck on the head before David wheels his wife out of the room, the two cooing over the gurgling infant in Snow’s arms.

Rumpelstiltskin stood, holding his hand out for Belle. “We’ll take out leave as well.”

Emma sat up, looking confused. “Wait,” she stuttered, holding her hand up. “I thought you were going to stay. I can take Belle home.”

Neal felt dread weld up in his chest at the thought of Emma leaving. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with his Papa. Just the opposite, in fact. But, he knew the Darkness would rear its nasty head if she so much as left the room, let alone took off across town. He remained quiet, however, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t going to make her stay. If she wanted to leave, she was more than welcome to. His chest began to ache at the thought. 

His Papa shook his head, however, before Emma could even get up from the bed. “I would feel better if it was you that stayed with him as opposed to me. He seems to do better around you.” Mr. Gold smiled gently. “You keep the Darkness back. And I cannot thank you enough.”

Emma felt at a loss for words. Her eyes began to sting. She really hadn’t wanted to leave Neal’s side but she felt that she owed it to Rumpelstiltskin to give him time with his son. She hadn’t thought to save him with True Love’s Kiss while he lay dying in the forest, having been tricked by Zelena into trading his life for his father’s. Hell, she hadn’t even known that they were true love until Belle mentioned the swan necklace that Neal had keep with him in the Enchanted Forest and had given back to her that day in the woods.

“You both need some rest,” Belle smiled, draping her arm through Rumple’s. “We’ll see you both in the morning. They exited the room, leaving the pair sitting on the bed, each lost in their own thoughts.

Emma cleared her throat. “I’ll see if Whale can get another bed in here.” She made to stand but stopped when a warm hand wrapped around hers.

“This bed is plenty big,” Neal replied softly. “There isn’t a need to get another one.”

Emma’s stomach fluttered with nerves and, suddenly, she was seventeen again, trying to figure out where she was going to spend the night and Neal offered for her to sleep in the back of his stolen car. She had been hesitant at first, not really sure if he was actually a pervert or not. When she voice the very thought, Neal gave her a grin that always made her knees turn to Jell-O. He simple handed her the keys to the car, grabbed one of the blankets from the back of his car and said he would sleep outside, so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Even though the night started out with Neal outside and Emma in the backseat, they somehow both ended up in the car, Emma scratched out across the back with her head towards the driver’s side and Neal reclined in the passenger’s seat. 

Neal must have sense her hesitation. He had always been really good at knowing what she was feeling and how to react, just as she always was with him. They were both so intuned with each other that the people back in Portland used to think to two to be high school sweethearts or childhood friends. “I’m not asking you to commit to anything,” he said softly, taking both her hands in his. “I would just rather not be alone right now.” The last sentence was barely above a whisper but Emma could still hear it as clear as day.

Emma pulled her hands away and saw him tense a little before she reached down and began to untie her boots. “I suggest you take the jackets off,” she said with a grin, gesturing to his oddly put together ensemble. “I am not sleeping next to you while you are wearing leather and wool. It will get too hot.”

Neal snickered and Emma made a face, knowing exactly where his mind had ended up. She rolled her eyes and threw her red leather jacket on to one of the chairs sitting beside the bed. (Everyone had returned the chairs to the waiting room when they left.) Within moments the two were laying in the bed, Neal on his back and Emma draped across his front.

“I don’t want any funny business, mister,” Emma said in a mocking tone. 

Neal laughed. “Don’t worry, madam,” he grinned cheekily. “You will be completely unharmed by the time you wake up.”

Emma hummed in reply, her eyes drifting shut on their own accord. Her breathing evened out and Neal listened to her heartbeat for a few precious moments before his eyes slowly closed, letting him fall into a restful sleep.

HENRYDANIELMILLS!

Zelena sat back, processing everything that Morgana had told her in regards to the new Dark One. She was quiet for a moment before she looked up, meeting Morgana’s bright green eyes.

“So you can control the Dark One, even without his dagger?” she asked, completely intrigued.

Morgana smiled. “Yes, I can. If I have the dagger, however, then I can control him completely.” She smiled turned nasty. “And there will be no way for him to fight back.”

“So,” Zelena said, crossing her legs. “The only obstacle is this Emrys.”

“Emrys,” Morgana hissed, “will not be a problem once we have the Dark One under control. The Darkness will automatically sense him as a threat and attack immediately. No, our real obstacle is Emma Swan,” she said, testing the name.

“That might be a little hard,” Zelena commented. “I know you want her gone but she has made quite the name for herself here.”

Morgana raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to elaborate.

“She is known as the Savior. She is the product of True Love,” Zelena replied, rolling her eyes at the title. She laughed, expecting Morgana to join in but her laughter trailed off when she took in Morgana’s paling face.

Morgana clenched her jaw, balling her hand into a fist, her eyes flashing angrily. “Then she must really be eliminated.”

Zelena looked confused. “What for? I understand she poses a threat in trying to control the Dark One but what is so wrong with her being a product of True Love?”

Morgana leaned back, exhaling so sharply through her nose that is sounded like a snake hissing. “A child of True Love is extremely rare. True Love is an ingrained part of the Old Religion. While Old Religion magic cannot exist beyond Camelot, True Love, which we know as Light Magic, is so powerful that it reaches out to all of the realms. It is known by many but only touched by select few.” She went quiet for a moment, worry clear on her face.

“What about her has you so worried?” Zelena asked quickly. “You are obviously more powerful than she is.”

“So far, yes,” Morgana answered quietly, staring at the fire place. “If she runs into Emrys and he trains her, then even I will be no match for her powers.”

Zelena was stunned for a moment. “What?!”

Morgana looked away from the fireplace and directly into Zelena’s eyes. “Light Magic is a key part of the Old Religion. Its magic is one of the original forms of the Old Religion. Since this Emma is a product of True Love, she possesses one of the most raw and pure forms of the Old Religion. She could even…” she trialed off suddenly, her lips pushed together so hard that they turned snow white. She shook her head quickly. “It doesn’t matter. We will get rid of her before she can even be trained.”

Zelena smirked. “I have the perfect idea of making her vulnerable.”

Morgana raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

Zelena’s head practically swelled with her ego. “Take her magic away, of course.”

Morgana simple rolled her eyes, sliding down in her chair. “That won’t work.”

Zelena bristled. “And why not?”

Morgana gave her a look that clearly said she was stupid. “Old Religion make cannot be taken away. It is too ingrained in a person’s soul.” She pressed her lips. “I tried the same thing before, with Emrys and it didn’t work well.”

“Then how do you suggest getting rid of her?” Zelena pouted, crossing her arms.

Morgana rolled her eyes again at the other woman’s childishness. “We kill her.”

Zelena frowned. “I thought you said she could become more powerful than you.”

“Oh, she can,” Morgana snared, the look marring her pretty face. “But we can nip it at the bud before it even flowers.”

Zelena’s lips slowly curled into a smile. “And which one of us will get the pleasure of killing her?”

Morgana smirked. “Neither.”

Zelena’s face fell. “What?”

Morgana laughed cruelly. “It’s perfect, really. No one would even think of it.”

“Would you care to enlighten me?” Zelena asked with a huff. “Who is going to kill her?”

Morgana’s smile turned cruel. “We need to find the Dark One’s dagger first.”

Zelena looked thoughtful. “I think I know where to narrow it down to. There will only be certain people he trusts, one of them being Emma. The other three are his father, the former Dark One, the pirate, who took him in when he was younger, and his son, who is also the Savior’s boy as well as my dear sister’s adopted child. Honestly, I place my bet with the child.”

Morgana raised an eyebrow as she grinned again. “So the Savior and the Dark One have a relationship?” She laughed when Zelena nodded. “It makes it so much more perfect than when she finally dies. We’ll have to make it a grand event, forcing everyone to watch as their precious Savior is destroyed right before their eyes.”  
Zelena frown. “Do you care to fill me in? Who is going to kill her?”

Morgana leaned back in her seat, the cruel smile still gracing her lips. “The father of her child, of course.” Morgana’s eyes flashed gold, her evil intent palatable in the air. “I’ll just force the Dark One to kill her with his own two hands.”


	7. Planning and Waiting: In Which Merlin Becomes a Teacher, Henry Accidently Blows Something Up, and Morgana and Zelena Are Up To No Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the late update. I have up to chapter thirteen written but I have to actually get them up. Enjoy the next chapter.

“What exactly are these potions supposed to do?” Zelena asked as she held up a vial of a liquid that was a very interesting shade of yellow. “And shouldn’t we have attacked by now? It has been a week. Emrys has most likely found her already.”

Morgana merely smiled as she bottled up the light pink potion she had just finished brewing. Potion making wasn’t exactly her area of expertise but she was willing to make an exception this one time. “Patience is a virtue, you know,” she replied calmly. “We’ll attack when the time is right.”

Zelena huffed. “And when will that be?” she asked with a pout. 

Morgana paused in thought for a moment. “At least a month and a half to two months.”

“What?!” Zelena shouted. “Why so long?!”

Morgana smirked. “You want to break Emma Swan before we kill her, correct?” Her smirk grew cruel as Zelena nodded. “Then follow every instruction I am about to give you and the Savior will be completely crushed by the time we finish her,” she finished as she hand Zelena the light pink potion and began to carefully lay out her instructions. By the end of it, Zelena was smiling with some much glee, one would have thought Christmas had come early.

EMMASWAN!

Emma threw her hands in the air in frustration. Two weeks. Two long fucking weeks she had been at this. It shouldn’t be that hard, she told herself. It will come easy, she said. It really wasn’t as easy as she had originally thought. 

A glare graced her face as she stared down the man facing her. Merlin flinched, knowing exactly the frustration she felt when a spell wasn’t working. She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, her eyebrow raised and mouth set in a thin line.

“You’re trying too hard,” Merlin commented and just barely contained another flinch as Emma’s glare intensified. 

“I thought you said I could learn this,” she said firmly.

“I did and you can,” Merlin replied patiently. “You just need to calm down. You’ve worked yourself up too much.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Neal said from his spot on the sidelines. “She’ll just calm down, drop her guard, and give Morgana and/or Zelena the perfect opportunity to attack.” He started clapping. “Wonderful idea, Your Grace,” he said sardonically, his voice oozing with frustration.

Merlin felt his temper flare. There were very few people in his world—and this one—that set Merlin on edge. Unfortunately, Neal Cassidy, A.K.A. the Dark One, was one of those few people. Merlin knew it was the Darkness that made the man constantly sarcastic and shrewd to him. From what he had heard from the other people of the town, Neal was an all-around decent guy with a big heart and an even bigger sense of humor. Unfortunately, that description wasn’t something that Merlin had experienced. Ever since the day at the hospital, Neal had done nothing but criticize Merlin, ridiculing him for everything that he couldn’t do or he didn’t know. Merlin really didn’t want to get mad at the man, he really didn’t. He was pretty sure, almost certain in fact, that if it wasn’t for the Darkness, he and Neal would have gotten along great.

Emma simple gave Neal a look and he grimaced in response when he realized what he had said. He sighed heavily, leaning his head back against the park bench as he slide down.  
Emma turned back to Merlin. “Sorry. He’s trying, really,” she said, looking back at her son’s father.

“It’s ok,” Merlin replied. “I know it’s the Darkness making him say things and act the way he is.”

Emma sighed. The lessons would probably have better results if Merlin was able to show her just how the magic worked. But, due to her own selfishness, she didn’t want Neal out of her sight. That enabled Merlin from being able to show her Old Religion magic. If she were honest with herself, however, she would have to say she felt relieved that Neal was constantly in her sights. More often than not these past couple of weeks, Emma had woken up from a nightmare, scrambling to find Neal because she keep dreaming he had died back in the forest or Morgana had murdered him for disobeying her orders.

Emma shuddered, hating herself for thinking about her night terrors at a time like this. Usually, when she woke from the night terrors, she would run downstairs, desperately searching for Neal. More times than not, he was laying on the couch, messing with something he refused to let her see. As the Dark One, Neal didn’t have to sleep and would just sit wake at night, messing around with whatever he could get his hands on. One time, she even caught him making dreamcatchers, something that had brought tears to her eyes.  
She shuddered again, remembering the few times she had ran downstairs, only to find the couch empty and Neal nowhere to be found. It was usually in those moments that Emma thought the last few weeks had been a dream; that she had simple fabricated Neal’s return and that Zelena would appear out of nowhere, wielding a Dark One Rumpelstiltskin in tow. Neal would usually find her in her bed in tears, silently crying because she was too ashamed to cry any louder. The only good things about those nights was that Henry was at Regina’s and Neal would hold her until she fell to sleep, him gently rubbing her back and whispering softly in her ear.

“Maybe that’s enough for today,” Merlin said, taking in the setting sun and the tired expression on Emma’s face. 

“Can I try?” Henry asked, bouncing so much in his seat that he had his Dad laughing.

Merlin smiled at his enthusiasm. He shrugged. “Why not.”

Henry ran from his seat, leaving his still-laughing father behind him, who was quickly joined by his mother.

“Do I need to go through the steps again?” Merlin asked with a smile, knowing how intently Henry had been watching the two practice the past two weeks.

Henry shook his head. He had basically become a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as he could.

Merlin nodded. “Do you remember the spell for fire?”

Neal frowned. “Isn’t that a bit dangerous? I don’t think he should be playing with fire.”

Merlin waved him off. “It won’t hurt anything. He doesn’t have enough of a magic level at the moment to be able to do any damage.”

Neal raised an eyebrow. “Famous last words,” he commented sarcastically, only to get hit in the shoulder by Emma. 

Merlin pointedly ignored the Dark One. “Do you remember the spell for fire?” he repeated.

Henry nodded excitedly. He stretched his hand out, his palm facing the open sky. Emma watched him intently, not wanting him to be upset if the spell didn’t work. Neal look interested and a little on edge. Henry’s parents heard him whisper the command for fire, both waiting on bated breath to see what would happen. After a moment, Henry’s face fell after see that the spell wasn’t doing anything. Merlin stepped closer.

“It’s ok,” he said patiently. “I didn’t get a lot of spells on my first try.”

Henry pouted before his face took on a determined look. He whispered the fire spell with a little more force. The bystanders watch quietly. Merlin sighed and took another step closer, only to have the spell Henry channeled blow up in his face.

Emma jumped up and ran to the pair while Neal slide off the bench laughing his ass off. Emma rolled her eyes at him as she took in the excited but completely unharmed Henry and a soot-covered Merlin, who looked rather impressed for someone who had just gotten a spell blown up in his face.

“That was so cool!” Henry said excitedly before running over to his dad and talking animatedly. 

Emma laughed. “I think you really made his day.”

Merlin grinned as he wiped his face off with his sleeve. “He has a lot of potential. And he’s a child. He’s bound to catch on quickly to magic. I’m just glad he can practice it freely here.”

Emma simple nodded, a small smile on her face as she watched her son and his dad. Neal had an arm slung across Henry’s shoulder, a wide grin on his face and Henry began to recant the small event with big hand gestures and mini explosion noises. 

“I’ll see you later then,” Merlin said after he had gotten all of the soot off his face.

Emma gave him a wave and walked over to stand next to her boys. Neal was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as Henry grinned from ear to ear. “Ready to go get some food?” Emma asked as she crossed her arms. “I heard Granny is having a sale on cheeseburgers.”

“What, buy one, get one for $.05 off?” Neal asked cheekily.

“No,” Emma countered. “She’d being generous.” Neal raised an eyebrow. “She’s giving $.10 off.”

Neal snorted, a grin still on his face. “Cheeky woman,” he tease.

“You love me anyways,” Emma replied automatically, not really thinking about what she was saying.

Neal’s face turned soft for a moment. “Always have, always will,” he replied honestly.

Emma bit her lip. She had unintentionally brought up a subject that the two had been avoiding for the past couple of weeks. His death was still fresh in her mind and she really didn’t want to go through that heart-ache again. Henry had been the only thing that had kept her going for those seven days afterwards. If she hadn’t had him, she would have been hell-bent on catching Zelena, probably to the point of almost getting herself killed.

“Sorry,” Neal apologized quietly.

“It’s ok,” Emma replied honestly. “You’re just being honest with me. I kind of walked myself through that door,” she smiled slightly.

Neal returned it.

“So,” Henry said, watching his parents with his own grin. “Granny’s?”

Emma laughed and put an arm around the twelve-year-old’s shoulder. “Let’s go, kiddo.” 

Henry grinned as his dad wrapped his arm around Emma’s shoulder as they walked. His grin nearly split his face in half as Emma rested her head on his shoulder instead of pulling away like he thought she would. This day couldn’t get any better in his opinion.

NEALCASSIDY/BAELFIRE!!

“That was fun,” Neal commented as Emma collapsed onto the bed. 

Emma giggled. “Tell me about it. I don’t think I have ever seen someone bicker as much as the two of them. You would think Arthur would have Merlin thrown in jail for some of the things he said.”

Neal grinned. “I think I heard Arthur mentioning something about the stocks and rotten vegetables after a while.”

Emma laughed even harder.

While the trio had been eating at Granny’s (the burgers were actually buy one, get one half off-surprise!), Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, and Gaius had arrived at the diner to get something to eat before they headed back to the house Rumpelstiltskin had rented out to them. The payment was Merlin giving Gold all of the information he knew on the Dark One in written form. Rumpelstiltskin had taken it upon himself to try and find a way to rid his son of the Darkness that had plagued their lives for too long.

Of course, Arthur and Merlin did nothing but bicker back and forth while they ate, giving Emma, Henry, and Neal a good show to watch. Ruby had brought over their usual drinks, saying that another customer, who wished to remain anonymous, had bought them. Emma rolled her eyes, knowing it was probably Neal’s dad, seeing as he and Belle were on a date at the same time (Belle had given them a cheery wave). Whoever it was had even gotten Emma a special sundae, seeing as her birthday had been the day before as well as making sure her hot chocolate had extra whipped cream and cinnamon. She had happily dug into the sundae, ignoring Neal’s teasing at her not eating right. That had somehow lead to Merlin making fat jokes about Arthur, leading to more laughter and slight chaos.

“You sure your parents won’t mind us setting up at Granny’s for a while?” Neal asked as he threw his jacket across the back of the desk chair.

“No,” Emma replied as she kicked off her boots. “They probably want to spend some time at home with my new little brother. Besides, I would rather not have to listen to a baby crying in the middle of the night. I love my brother but I need my sleep.”

“Speaking of which,” Neal said. “What is his name? I haven’t heard them say.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “They’re keeping it a secret, even from me. They want to wait until the party in a few days to announce it.”

“Royals,” Neal snorted with a teasing grin. “They just can’t do things like us regular folks, can they?”

Emma laughed. The pair fell into a comfortable silence. Emma would randomly giggle occasionally, thinking of a certain memory from the dinner. Neal would just simple watch her, grinning all the while. Eventually, his smile began to slip, giving way to a nostalgic expression that Emma caught immediately.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

Neal flinched, not wanting her to see him like that. He sighed heavily. “It’s nothing.”

“Nope,” she said as she stood, walking to stand in front of him. “You don’t get to just blow me off like that. What’s wrong, Neal?”

Neal was quiet for a moment. “I think we need to talk.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

Neal snorted. “We’re not even together,” he whispered sadly.

Emma bite her lip, unknowingly hitting the subject on the head. She gently took his hands, pulling them until he followed her. She sat back down on the bed, facing him, his hands still in hers.

Emma drew in a deep breath. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Us,” Neal replied honestly. “What our next move is?” He sighed again. “I don’t want to make you feel like I’m pressuring you but…”

Emma frowned, reaching up and letting her hand rest gently on his cheek. “What is it?”

Neal bit his lip. “I know it’s stupid,” he said, running a hand nervously through his hair. “Never mind,” he said suddenly, getting up and walking towards the door.

“Neal,” Emma said as she grabbed his hand, making him stop. “I want to know what’s bothering you.” She paused for a moment. “Is it the Darkness again?” she whispered quietly.

His flinch was all she needed to see to know she was right. She gently led him back to the bed. She sat down sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed and let his head fall, his nose buried in her hair, inhaling the scent of her lavender and vanilla shampoo.

“What is the Darkness telling you?” Emma asked quietly, remembering the times she had walked in on Neal angrily talking to himself. He had been embarrassed, of course, when he realized she had walked in on him arguing with the Darkness. Instead of leaving like he expected her, Emma had grabbed his hand and led him out of the room, using Henry as a distraction as the trio ended up walking along the beach.

“It’s stupid,” Neal muttered. 

“No,” Emma insisted. “It’s not. Your dad said the Darkness used to feed on his own worries and doubts and amplified them to make him angry. I am pretty sure it’s doing the same thing with you.”

Neal exhaled heavily through his nose, causing Emma to laugh as it tickled her head. Neal’s lips tugged into a grin despite his best efforts to keep a straight expression. Emma looked up at him, her green eyes shining bright.

“What is the Darkness telling you? Because, whatever it is, I am completely sure that it is wrong.”

Neal rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure it’s right.”

Emma slapped him hard on the shoulder, her face set in determination to prove him wrong. She simple raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Neal sighed softly this time. “It keeps telling me that we,” he gestured between the two of them, “will never go back to being what we were,” he finished softly, doubt and worry clear in his tone.

Emma sat there for a moment, watching Neal with clear eyes. She surprised him when she suddenly shifted, knocking him back onto the bed and straddled his waist, her hands lacing with his above his head. “And why can’t we?”

Neal blinked in surprise, still in shock of the position they were in. “Emma-“

“Nope,” she said, leaning down, pressing her chest to his, their noses just barely touching. “The Darkness doesn’t get to decide. We do.”

Neal looked her dead in the eyes, searching for something there. Emma stared right back, her gaze never wavering. Neal must have found what he was looking for after a moment. Emma felt all of the tension leave his body as he smile gently at her.

“Is this,” he sighed, “what you really want?”

Emma smiled. “What I really want is you,” she said, pressing her lips to Neal’s in a soft, gentle way. Neal gladly responded by deepening the kiss.

THELADYMORGANA!

Morgana smirked as she watched the couple that was displayed on the crystal she had in her hand. She waved her hand, dissolving the image of Emma and Neal, her smirk turning rather cruel in nature as she turned to Zelena. The Wicked Witch had a look of disgust on her face, having watched the two kissing. She was more than glad when Morgana dispelled the image before she could have seen anything else. True Love always made her so sick.

“It’s all going according to plan,” Morgana practically sang.

“Are you sure it will work?” Zelena asked, doubt heavy in her voice.

Morgana raised an eyebrow. “Are you questioning me?”

Zelena paled a little. “Of course not,” she said quickly, holding her hands out in front of her. “I was just merely…” She trailed off before she could dig her hole deeper.

Morgana rolled her eyes. “It will work. My potions have never failed before.”

“Isn’t Emrys still alive?” Zelena countered.

Morgana shook her head. “I’ve never used a potion on Emrys. It would be too risky.”

“But you can use one on her?” Zelena asked, thinking about the so called Savior that always made her want to barf.

Morgana rolled her eyes again, sighing at Zelena’s impatience. “Emrys can sense if there is a potion that has been added to his food. That is only because he had been using that magic since he was born. Emma, on the other hand, had only discovered the true origins of her magic recently. She isn’t trained enough to be able to sense a potion of that caliber.”

“Is that why you put it in her drink?” Zelena asked. “And how did you even know she would get that one and not her son?”

Morgana raised an eyebrow. “‘Know your enemy’,” she quoted. “Emma Swan’s birthday was recently. As a ‘birthday gift’, an anonymous person bought her a drink.” Morgana waved her off. “The only thing that matters is that it worked.”

“What now?” Zelena pouted, hating that she was being spoken to as if she were merely a child.

Morgana leaned back in her chair. “We plan. Next order of business,” she said as she conjured an image of a young boy that spun slowly over the top of her palm, “find the Dark One’s dagger.” She quickly closed her fist, crushing the image as she smiled. She absolutely loved it when a plan came together.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN(add necessary hand flourish)

Emma woke up with a start as her phone began to ring suddenly. Beside her, Neal groaned, rolling over on to his side and covering his head with a pillow. 

“I am going to kill your phone,” he said groggily. 

Emma just shook her head. She slowly got up from the bed and grabbed her phone that was sitting on the desk across the room.

She cleared her throat. “Hello?” she answered, her voice still thick from sleep.

“Hey, Mom!” Henry answered from the other end.

“Hey Henry,” Emma smiled as she leaned her lower back against the cool surface of the desk. “What’s up?” she asked, yawning.

“Gramps, Grams, and I are going to go to Granny’s to catch some breakfast,” Henry replied animatedly. “Can you meet us downstairs in about thirty minutes?”

Emma raised an eyebrow, not really sure how her son knew she was at Granny’s B&B. She didn’t comment, however, as a smile tugged at her lips. She looked up and caught Neal’s eyes, who had finally decided to roll out from under the pillow and was now watching her with interest.

“Sure, kid. Will be there in a few minutes,” she replied as Neal raised an eyebrow. The two exchanged goodbyes and love before Emma put her phone back on the desk. “Henry wants us to meet him for breakfast.”

Neal just nodded and continued to stare at Emma, his hands behind his head and a shit-eating grin on his face.

Emma blinked. “What?”

“Nothing,” Neal replied, his grin getting even wider. “Just enjoying the view.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Perv.”

“Tease,” Neal countered. “Come back to bed,” he whined.

“Nope,” Emma replied, grabbing her bra that was laying on the floor. “If we get started again, we won’t be able to meet Henry for breakfast. Now, where is the rest of my clothes?”

Neal grinned before simple pointing up.

Emma looked up and groaned. “How the hell did my underwear end up on the ceiling fan?”

Neal just laughed in response.


End file.
